Senior Manager R&D Software and Firmware Engineering

Work Schedule

Environmental Conditions

Job Description

Thermo Fisher Scientifics Ion Chromatography and Sample Preparation (ICSP) team is seeking a Manager or Senior Manager of R&D Software and Firmware Engineering to lead a newly established multidisciplinary team focused on embedded software and firmware for next-generation ion chromatography laboratory instruments.

This role is part of a strategic NPI (New Product Introduction) initiative focused on developing a new generation platform for chromatographic instruments. This is not about maintaining or incrementally improving existing solutions but a complete redesign of a system currently built on approximately 15-year-old electronics.

The goal is to create a modern scalable platform by leveraging new technologies to significantly improve performance functionality and overall system architecture. The work involves developing electronics and software for high-precision analytical instruments combining advanced hardware reliability and complex system integration.

This is a multi-year program offering long-term stability and the opportunity to contribute across multiple phases of developmentfrom early architecture through to commercialization.

What will you do

You will build and lead a multidisciplinary R&D engineering team of approximately 12 engineers (firmware embedded software DevOps and test) establishing a strong foundation for scalable and high-quality product development.

Team Leadership & Development

• Hire lead coach and develop a high-performing engineering team fostering a culture of ownership collaboration and continuous improvement
• Drive performance management career development and succession planning

Engineering Excellence & SDLC

• Define and implement a scalable modern software development lifecycle (SDLC) including architecture governance coding standards automated testing CI/CD traceability and release management
• Establish and track key quality metrics and drive continuous improvement

Product Development & Delivery

• Lead development of embedded software firmware and supporting systems for next-generation ion chromatography instruments
• Oversee delivery across exploratory new product development and sustaining engineering initiatives aligned with business priorities

Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration

• Partner with system architects product management hardware engineering manufacturing and global R&D teams to ensure seamless integration and delivery
• Coordinate work across distributed teams to ensure alignment transparency and predictable execution

Compliance Security & DevOps Strategy

• Ensure compliance with regulatory and cybersecurity requirements embedding secure development practices and traceability by design
• Own DevOps and toolchain strategy aligning with divisional and corporate standards

Innovation & Productivity

• Drive adoption of modern engineering tools including AI-assisted development to improve speed quality and knowledge sharing
• Balance innovation technical debt and sustaining activities through effective roadmap and resource planning

Qualifications & Skills

• Degree in Computer Science or a related field (or equivalent experience); MS preferred
• Proven experience leading and scaling R&D engineering teams including hiring and performance management
• Experience delivering complex embedded or instrumentation systems from concept through commercialization
• Strong background in embedded Linux firmware and/or distributed systems (C C C# .NET)
• Experience with device control data acquisition and communication protocols (TCP/IP USB I2C SPI RS232)
• Solid understanding of CI/CD automated testing and DevOps in embedded environments
• Hands-on experience with modern development toolchains and lifecycle systems (e.g. Git Azure DevOps Jira Jenkins Yocto GCC containers Jama DOORS Polarion)
• Experience in regulated or quality-driven environments including secure development and product cybersecurity practices
• Experience in industrial scientific medical or safety-critical systems strongly preferred
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to operate across distributed teams
• Analytical data-driven mindset with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Interest in leveraging AI-assisted development tools to improve engineering productivity and quality