Lead Firmware Engineer, Willow
Medical Device & Connectivity
$195-220k
Plus equity
2-3 days a week in office (Mountain View, CA)
Wearable breast pump
Be an early applicant
Wearable breast pump
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
$195-220k
Plus equity
2-3 days a week in office (Mountain View, CA)
101-200 employees
Company mission
Willow's mission is to build solutions to mom’s most meaningful problems.
Role
Who you are
- Education: BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
- Firmware Expertise: 7+ years of experience in embedded C/C++. Experience with RTOS (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr) and/or bare-metal development
- Connectivity: Experience with BLE stacks and mobile-to-device data synchronization. STM32WBxxx series experience a plus
- Motor Control: Familiarity with PWM or PID loops for motor control
- Regulated Industry Experience: Proven experience shipping products in a regulated environment — medical devices (FDA/CE), aerospace, automotive (ISO 26262), or similar. Direct IEC 62304 / ISO 13485 experience is a strong plus but not required
- Leadership: Experience leading technical projects or mentoring engineers in a fast-paced environment
Desirable
- Experience implementing hardware-based security features (e.g., Secure Boot, TrustZone, Cryptographic Co-processors)
- Experience with low-power optimization for battery-operated wearables
- Familiarity with Over-the-Air (OTA) update implementation
- Direct experience shipping Class II medical devices under FDA/CE pathways
- A passion for women's health and FemTech innovation
What the job involves
- As our Lead Firmware Engineer, you will own the "brain" of our next-generation breast pump technology. This is a high-impact role where you will bridge the gap between complex motor control and seamless wireless connectivity. You will work closely with a small team of engineers, contributing to technical direction while staying hands-on in the codebase
- You will ensure our products are not only innovative but meet the highest safety and regulatory standards for Class II medical devices
- Architecture & Development: Lead the design and implementation of firmware for our wearable breast pumps, focusing on motor control algorithms, power management, and sensor fusion
- Connectivity: Architect and optimize BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication protocols to ensure rock-solid pairing between the device and our mobile application
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all firmware development follows IEC 62304 software lifecycle standards and supports ISO 13485 quality management systems
- Hardware Abstraction: Work closely with the Electrical Engineering (EE) team on hardware bring-up, debugging, and component selection (MCUs, drivers, batteries)
- Testing & Validation: Develop automated test frameworks and unit tests to ensure 100% reliability in a mission-critical medical context
- Prototyping & Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with mechanical and electrical engineers to bring new breast pump and maternal health prototypes to life, from early concept through functional validation
Our take
Willow makes life easier for breastfeeding mothers with an all-in-one wearable breast pump. With 60% of mothers giving up breastfeeding before they originally planned to, Willow offers a solution that is designed to make pumping more flexible.
Willow’s pump was the first of its kind, and it is small enough to slip into a nursing bra. Battery-powered and discrete, the device comes with an app to compare data and set alerts, bringing some high-tech convenience to breastfeeding.
Willow does have several competitors within the breast pump space, including the VC-backed business Elvie. Past funding has allowed the company to invest in new products, further expand internationally presence, and grow brand awareness. Its latest feature is an Apple Watch app that acts as an even more convenient way to manage pumping sessions, showcasing that the company is still committed to innovating.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
52% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Apr 2021
$26.8m
SERIES C
Sep 2020
$55m
SERIES C
Total funding: $146.8m
Company benefits
- Medical, dental & vision
- Wellness programs, health & gender affirmation reimbursement
- 401k
- Life insurance, and disability options
- Generous and flexible time off
- Flexible work schedules, including work from home opportunities and no meeting Wednesdays!
- Parental Leave - New parents receive 16 weeks paid parental leave, plus six 4-day weeks to smoothly transition back to work
Company HQ
Mountain View, CA
Leadership
John Chang
(CTO)Earned a BSE in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Previously worked for 9 years at Acclarent, holding various positions such as Founder and Vice President of R&D.
Josh Makower
(Chairman)Previously Manager of the Strategic Innovation Group at Pfizer for 6 years, Founder & Chairman at Acclarent for 5 years, and Consulting Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine for 15 years.
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