Job Title: Embedded Software Engineering Manager
Job Description
This role leads a high-performing embedded software team developing systems software and applications for advanced medical imaging and airway management devices. You will own the full software lifecycle for new and existing products, from specification and architecture through implementation, verification, validation, and sustaining engineering. A key focus of the position is to champion the adoption of Generative AI technologies within the development lifecycle, using AI to enhance productivity, software quality, and innovation while positioning software as a clear differentiator in the market. The role is primarily managerial but remains technically hands-on enough to troubleshoot complex issues, analyze code, and guide architectural decisions in a highly regulated, safety-critical environment.
Responsibilities
- Lead and manage an embedded software development team of approximately 6 to 11 engineers, including embedded developers, software testers, and UI/UX specialists, to deliver applications for medical imaging and airway management devices.
- Provide end-to-end leadership for all software engineering activities, including requirements specification, architecture design, implementation, verification, validation, and sustaining engineering for new and existing medical devices.
- Innovate, implement, and refine agile development processes for embedded software, including the oversight and coordination of external development resources when required.
- Establish, document, and enforce software development standards, processes, and best practices to ensure scalable, high-quality, and maintainable software.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce time to market, enhance reliability, and improve efficiency across the software development lifecycle.
- Mentor, coach, and develop software engineers and test engineers using situational leadership, providing regular 1:1s, development planning, performance feedback, and career guidance.
- Perform full people-management responsibilities, including hiring, onboarding, workload balancing, coaching, performance management, and, when necessary, terminations.
- Provide technical project management and leadership across the software lifecycle, including project planning, risk management, resource allocation, and coordination of cross-functional activities.
- Prepare teams for projects from early research and proof-of-concept through design, implementation, testing, delivery, and product launch.
- Evaluate projects, develop and maintain detailed schedules, track progress, and provide clear status reporting to senior leadership and stakeholders.
- Manage multiple software development projects from initiation through completion, ensuring alignment with business priorities and strategic objectives.
- Work closely with Research, Hardware, Systems, Electrical Engineering, Design Quality, and other stakeholder groups to make informed architectural decisions and design tradeoffs between mechanical, electrical, and software components.
- Ensure effective planning and execution of software-related projects across organizational functions such as marketing, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, and operations.
- Partner with internal customers to understand, interpret, and incorporate requirements into software solutions that meet clinical, regulatory, and business needs.
- Drive the evaluation, adoption, and deployment of Generative AI tools and methods to improve team productivity, software quality, and innovation within the software development lifecycle.
- Define and execute a software strategy that balances near-term product delivery with long-term organizational growth, scalability, and increased engineering capacity.
- Serve as a thought leader and change agent for AI-enabled software development practices, positioning the organization as a technology leader in its market.
- Proactively plan for and lead the growth of the software team, including scaling capacity, defining roles, and implementing tools and processes that maximize productivity and effectiveness.
- Maintain strong technical credibility by remaining capable of troubleshooting complex issues, analyzing the code base, assessing development processes, and using appropriate tools to investigate and resolve problems.
- Generate technical and project reports for leadership, summarizing progress, risks, mitigation plans, and continuous improvement opportunities.
- Collaborate closely with other managers and leadership to potentially split the team into multiple groups as the organization grows, while maintaining consistent functionality and standards across teams.
- Contribute to and support a culture of innovation, analytical thinking, and data-driven decision-making within the software organization.
Essential Skills
- Bachelors degree in Computer Science or an equivalent technical discipline; a Masters degree is preferred.
- 8+ years of software development experience, including at least 4+ years working with bare metal and/or embedded RTOS systems.
- Minimum of 2 years of management experience leading software projects and teams, including direct people-management responsibilities such as hiring, performance management, and workload balancing.
- Hands-on technical background in embedded software development, with the ability to troubleshoot, analyze code, and guide engineering teams even if not coding day-to-day.
- Experience developing on embedded platforms such as MSP430, ARM Cortex-A, ARM Cortex-M, 64-bit architectures, and STM32 microcontrollers.
- Proficiency in developing applications at multiple levels, including bare metal systems, RTOS-based systems, and embedded Linux environments.
- Proven mastery of software engineering best practices, including estimation, architecture and design, unit and system-level testing, configuration management, change control, and issue tracking.
- Experience with version control systems such as Git and Subversion.
- Demonstrated success leading full product lifecycle development efforts in a high-assurance or highly regulated industry (for example, medical devices, aerospace, marine, or automotive), or in environments with strong process and documentation requirements.
- Knowledge of emerging Generative AI technologies and a strong interest or proven experience in applying AI to software development practices.
- Ability to foster a culture of innovation and inspire teams to embrace AI-driven productivity and efficiency improvements.
- Visionary mindset with demonstrated ability to define and execute both short- and long-term strategies for software organization growth and scalability.
- Strong analytical, data-driven decision-making skills and a high level of curiosity.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and communicate clearly with senior leadership and executives.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Experience in medical device, aerospace, automotive, or other safety-critical, highly regulated environments, including familiarity with relevant standards and compliance frameworks.
- Experience with standard processes and safety or quality standards such as IEC-based frameworks and other industry-recognized software lifecycle standards.
- background in video image processing or digital signal processing, particularly in the context of imaging or visualization systems.
- Experience with embedded Linux, Qt, and application development using C++ and/or C# (not all technologies are required but are considered an asset).
- Familiarity with microprocessor units (MPUs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in embedded systems.
- Experience integrating AI or machine learning models into embedded or edge devices, such as training larger models and deploying them within constrained environments.
- Proven ability to scale and grow high-performing engineering teams while implementing tools and processes that maximize productivity and efficiency.
- Experience managing broader software engineering teams, not only software testing teams, with responsibility across multiple products and platforms.
- Comfort working with distributed teams, including remote engineers, while maintaining alignment, communication, and consistent standards.
- Interest in working on products that directly impact patient care and clinical outcomes, with a strong sense of ownership and responsibility for product quality.
Work Environment
This role sits within a global medical device organization focused on airway management and urology solutions, including advanced video laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy systems, bladder volume measurement technologies, and a growing range of single-use products. The position is part of the Airway R&D team based in Burnaby, BC, collaborating closely with colleagues in headquarters and international subsidiaries in Canada, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. You will work in a structured, highly regulated environment that emphasizes quality, safety, and compliance, with long product development cycles and stable, steady business compared to many traditional product development sectors. The embedded software team currently includes approximately 11 members, including remote employees, and may be organized into multiple groups as the organization grows. The technology stack includes embedded Linux, RTOS-based systems, Qt, C++, C#, video image processing, digital signal processing, and hardware platforms such as MSP430, ARM Cortex, 64-bit architectures, and STM32, as well as MPUs and FPGAs. The work involves close collaboration with Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Design Quality, Research, Hardware, Marketing, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, and Operations. Employees benefit from a comprehensive total rewards package that typically includes competitive compensation, annual bonus eligibility based on company and individual performance, a health spending account, paid holidays, paid time off, and a retirement matching plan. The culture emphasizes innovation, collaboration, and a strong sense of purpose, with many employees expressing satisfaction in contributing to products that improve patient outcomes and serve as market leaders in their field.
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Burnaby, BC.
Pay And Benefits
The pay range for this position is $131115.00 - $187310.00/yr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Burnaby,BC.
À propos d'Actalent
Actalent est un leader mondial dans les services dingénierie et de sciences ainsi que dans les solutions de talents. Nous aidons des entreprises visionnaires à faire progresser leurs initiatives dingénierie et de science grâce à laccès à des experts spécialisés qui favorisent léchelle, linnovation et la rapidité de mise sur le marché. Avec un réseau de près de 20 000 consultants et 5 000 clients à travers les États-Unis, le Canada, lAsie et lEurope, Actalent dessert de nombreuses entreprises du Fortune 500. Nous sommes fiers dêtre lune des 500 meilleures firmes de conception de lEngineering News-Record (ENR) pour nos services de conception en ingénierie et un lauréat du prix ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® tant pour le service client que pour les talents.
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About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
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