Senior Hardware/Firmware Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Who We Are

Disease detection through smell? That's right. With every breath, we release a health snapshot right into the air. This is the body's hidden language, and up until now, it's gone unnoticed. We're changing that. Inspired by nature and with a boost from NASA, we've developed the world's first fully-integrated diagnostic breathalyzer. It's capable of decoding these health signals in real-time and at any point-of-care. We're bringing the sense of smell to the forefront of medicine and welcoming a new era of healthcare. 

This role offers an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of medical device technology, contributing to innovative diagnostic solutions. The ideal candidate will blend technical expertise with a passion for quality and reliability in healthcare technology.

As a passionate and skilled Hardware/Firmware Engineer at Noze, you'll revolutionize medical diagnostics by developing innovative, high-quality firmware solutions. With your strong startup mindset, you'll tackle complex challenges head-on, designing beyond specifications to align with company goals. 

Your expertise in both firmware and hardware enables holistic system development, while your analytical thinking and creativity drive robust, data-driven solutions. Your commitment to documentation, problem-solving, and continuous innovation will be crucial in advancing our groundbreaking projects and contributing to the team's success in transforming healthcare technology.

• Rapid prototyping: turn ideas into working hardware quickly. Build breadboard and dev-kit proofs of concept, spin quick-turn PCBs, hand-assemble and rework boards, and iterate from bench results in days, not months
• Analog front end: design high-sensitivity, low-noise, instrumentation-level signal chains for chemical sensor arrays: excitation, multiplexing, amplification, filtering, and high-resolution ADC conversion
• Noise and precision: build PSpice models of the signal chain and run noise budgets, error and drift analysis, and tolerance studies; manage grounding, shielding, guarding, layout, and thermal effects to reach the sensitivity the sensor needs
• Digital and MCU design: design multi-MCU boards (STM32, MSP430, ESP32 families) with external memory and storage, displays and touch, audio, wireless, and USB
• Mixed-signal and power: partition analog and digital domains; design battery, charging, BMS and fuel-gauge circuits, low-noise regulation, and drivers for pumps, valves, and other actuators
• Bring-up and validation: bring up new boards, write test plans, characterize sensor and front-end performance, and debug down to the component
• Firmware: write and maintain drivers, bring-up and production firmware across STM32 (FreeRTOS), MSP430 (bare-metal), and ESP32 (ESP-IDF), including inter-processor communication, sensor acquisition, power management, and wireless connectivity
• Path to production: schematic capture and PCB layout, BOM and component selection, DFM/DFT, and work with contract manufacturers and EMC/safety test labs (IEC 60601-1, IEC 60601-1-2)
• Work across teams: partner with software and cloud on device interfaces, with the sensor team on characterization, and with mechanical on integration and pneumatics
• Documentation: write and maintain hardware design documentation and risk analyses (dFMEA) for an ISO 13485 / ISO 14971 design-control process

• Sensing: chemical sensor arrays, plus flow and environmental sensing
• Analog front end: MSP430 ultra-low-power MCU for multi-channel precision acquisition and battery management
• Main unit: STM32 (ARM Cortex-M) with external memory and storage, touch display, and audio
• Connectivity: ESP32 for Wi-Fi and BLE
• Firmware: C/C++, FreeRTOS, STM32Cube, ESP-IDF, and bare-metal MSP430
• Process: Git, Jira/Confluence, and a QMS-based design-control process
• Design tools: KiCad, PSpice, LTspice

• 7+ years of professional electronics design and embedded firmware experience, with at least one product taken from prototype to production
• A strong record of rapid prototyping: you build, measure, and iterate quickly, and you're comfortable with hand assembly, rework, and quick-turn PCB fabrication
• Proven analog design for high-sensitivity, low-noise, instrumentation-grade measurement: precision op-amps and instrumentation amplifiers, transimpedance or bridge circuits, low-noise references, filtering, and high-resolution (24-bit sigma-delta) ADCs
• Solid understanding of noise sources (thermal, 1/f, shot, EMI) and how to measure and reduce them
• Digital design experience with STM32 (ARM Cortex-M), MSP430, and ESP32 MCUs, including high-speed memory interfaces, SPI, I2C, UART, I2S, SDIO, and USB
• Mixed-signal PCB layout skills: grounding, guarding, stack-up, and signal and power integrity
• Low-noise power design and battery-powered systems
• Expert with lab equipment: oscilloscope, spectrum or FFT analyzer, precision DMM and SMU, LCR meter, logic analyzer
• Fluent in KiCad for schematic capture and multi-layer PCB layout, plus circuit modeling and simulation in PSpice (LTspice a plus): analog front-end, noise, and tolerance/Monte Carlo analysis
• Clear communicator with colleagues from different technical backgrounds (firmware, sensor, product, AI, QA)
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

You'll write the firmware for the boards you design, so we need real depth here too:

• Strong embedded C/C++ on STM32 (STM32Cube/HAL), ESP32 (ESP-IDF), and MSP430
• FreeRTOS and bare-metal development: peripheral drivers, ADC/DMA acquisition, interrupts, timers, and low-power modes
• Writing bring-up and test firmware yourself, and debugging with JTAG/SWD
• Inter-processor communication (UART, SPI) and wireless connectivity on ESP32 (Wi-Fi, BLE, MQTT)
• Bootloaders, OTA updates, and secure boot
• Python for test automation, data capture, and analysis

• Chemical, gas, or biomedical sensor interfaces
• Medical device experience: IEC 60601-1, IEC 60601-1-2 (EMC), ISO 13485, ISO 14971
• Pneumatic or fluidic systems and actuator drive circuits
• RF layout and wireless certification
• Low-volume manufacturing, test fixture design, and production test