Senior Software Engineer

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER Location: San Diego, CA Job Type: Full-Time Salary: 146K – 155K ABOUT THE ROLE We are a startup building complex, performance-critical software and hardware systems at the intersection of instrumentation, algorithms, and data. We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer who is equally comfortable writing low-level C/C++ for embedded targets and building higher-level Python applications that tie a system together. You will write production code that spans from device-level firmware interfaces up through orchestration software that coordinates the electrical, fluidic, and mechanical subsystems of a complex instrument. This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who likes working close to the hardware, enjoys making messy real-world systems behave predictably, and takes pride in clean, well-tested code. You will work closely with hardware, firmware, algorithm, and application engineers to take instrument subsystems from prototype to production. WHAT YOU’LL DO EMBEDDED & APPLICATION SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT • Write production-quality C/C++ for embedded targets and resource-constrained environments • Build Python applications and services that orchestrate, monitor, and expose instrument behavior • Develop and maintain device drivers, hardware abstraction layers, and communication interfaces (serial, USB, Ethernet, CAN, SPI, I2C) • Bridge embedded subsystems and higher-level application logic through clean, well-defined interfaces • Debug across the stack — from a misbehaving sensor or actuator up to an unhappy application thread MULTI-COMPONENT SYSTEM ORCHESTRATION • Design and implement the software that coordinates electrical, fluidic, and mechanical subsystems into a working instrument • Build state machines and control loops that move the system through complex, multi-step protocols reliably • Handle the realities of real-world hardware — timing, failure modes, recovery, calibration, interlocks, and safety • Define interfaces and contracts between subsystem controllers, the orchestration layer, and the user-facing application • Instrument the system so that when something goes wrong on a wet bench at 2am, the logs actually tell you why LINUX & CONTAINERIZED WORKFLOWS • Develop and deploy on Linux — both desktop and embedded • Build and maintain Docker images and containerized workflows for development, testing, and deployment • Manage build environments, dependencies, and reproducibility across developer machines and target hardware • Debug system-level issues involving processes, devices, networking, and resource contention ENGINEERING HYGIENE • Write code that other engineers can read, extend, and trust — clear interfaces, sensible abstractions, useful tests • Use git fluently for branching, review, bisecting, and clean history • Participate in code review as a thoughtful reviewer and a graceful author • Build small, sharp tools that make the team faster — not large frameworks that slow them down WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR REQUIRED • BS in Computer Science or Engineering with 5+ years or MS with 3+ years of professional software engineering experience building production systems • Strong C/C++ skills, including comfort reading and debugging existing codebases • 5+ years of Python experience and proven ability to design, build, and ship application-level software • Hands-on experience with embedded development — talking to real hardware, working with constrained environments, and dealing with the failure modes that come with both • Hands-on experience with application development — services, APIs, user-facing tools, or orchestration software • Strong Linux skills: comfortable on the command line, debugging system behavior, and working with build toolchains • Solid git fundamentals and good code hygiene — clear commits, readable diffs, useful tests, careful reviews • Comfortable with Docker and containerized development and deployment workflows STRONGLY PREFERRED • Experience building multi-component orchestration software for systems that combine electrical, fluidic, and mechanical subsystems (instruments, lab automation, robotics, manufacturing equipment, or similar) • Experience designing state machines or control software for multi-step physical protocols • Comfort working alongside hardware, firmware, and mechanical engineers — and translating their constraints into software • Experience with CI/CD pipelines and build systems (CMake, Make, or similar) NICE-TO-HAVE • Background in scientific instrumentation, biosensor platforms, lab automation, or medical devices • Experience with real-time or near-real-time control software • Familiarity with common embedded interfaces and protocols (Modbus, CANopen, EtherCAT, gRPC, MQTT, etc.) • Experience in regulated development environments (FDA, ISO, or similar) WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE • Instrument subsystems behave predictably, recover gracefully, and are debuggable when they don’t • The orchestration software is something other engineers want to build on — not something they work around • Code you ship is reliable enough that the team trusts it, and clear enough that they can extend it without paging you • Hardware, firmware, and application engineers can move faster because of the interfaces and tooling you build • When a hard, cross-domain bug shows up, you are one of the people the team is glad to have on it WHY JOIN US • Work in a dynamic, collaborative environment where innovation and scientific rigor are deeply valued • Join a seasoned, multidisciplinary team tackling high-impact problems at the intersection of science and engineering • Competitive compensation and equity package, comprehensive benefits, and flexibility to support work-life integration We are an equal opportunity employer. We thrive on diversity and collaboration.