Principal Embedded Software Engineer Job Westford area,Massachusetts USA,Software Development

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Embedded Software Engineer to provide technical leadership in the design, development, and delivery of embedded software solutions for complex products and systems. This role serves as a recognized technical expert, driving software architecture, technology strategy, and engineering excellence across multiple programs. The ideal candidate combines deep hands‑on embedded software expertise with strong leadership, mentoring, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership: Define and drive the embedded software architecture, design standards, and development best practices. Lead technical decision‑making for embedded systems, including RTOS, Linux‑based platforms, device drivers, middleware, networking, and application software. Serve as the highest level of technical escalation for complex software issues. Evaluate and introduce emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies to improve product quality and development efficiency. Drive software quality, reliability, safety, security, and maintainability throughout the product lifecycle.
Software Development: Participate in requirements analysis and system‑level trade‑off decisions. Lead implementation of complex features and critical software components. Perform code reviews and ensure adherence to coding standards and software development processes. Optimize software performance, memory utilization, power consumption, and system reliability. Ensure scalability, reuse, and long‑term maintainability of software platforms.
Project & Team Leadership: Mentor senior and junior engineers across the organization. Lead technical planning, risk management, and estimation activities. Influence engineering roadmaps and strategic technology direction. Support project execution by identifying technical risks and mitigation strategies. Foster a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and continuous improvement. Collaborate with hardware, firmware, systems, validation, cybersecurity, and product teams.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
10+ years of embedded software development experience.
Extensive experience programming in C and C++.
Strong expertise in embedded system architecture and software design principles.
Experience with Real‑Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and Embedded Linux.
Strong understanding of microcontrollers, processors, memory architectures, and hardware/software interfaces.
Experience with communication protocols such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, CAN/CAN‑FD, SPI, I2C, UART, USB.
Proficiency with debugging tools, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and software analysis tools.
Experience with software version control systems (Git Hub preferred).
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem‑solving skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
Experience with safety‑critical or regulated systems.
Knowledge of cybersecurity principles for embedded systems.
Experience with model‑based design and auto‑code generation tools.
Familiarity with Agile/Scrum development methodologies.
Experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams.
Knowledge of cloud‑connected and IoT‑enabled embedded devices.
Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and Dev Ops practices.

Technical Expertise

Embedded Linux
FreeRTOS, VxWorks, QNX, ThreadX, or similar RTOS platforms
Device driver development
Board Support Packages (BSP)
Bootloaders and secure boot
Networking and communications protocols
Multi‑threaded and concurrent programming
Cybersecurity and secure software development
Software architecture and design patterns
Functional safety standards (IEC 61508, ISO 26262, IEC 62304, etc.)
Software verification and validation

Leadership Expectations

Recognized technical authority within the organization. Influences engineering strategy and technology roadmaps. Guides architectural decisions across multiple product lines. Mentors engineers and develops technical talent. Drives…