Work Schedule
Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions
Laboratory Setting, Office
Job Description
Thermo Fisher Scientific's Ion Chromatography and Sample Preparation (ICSP) team is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer to join our R&D organization in Brno and contribute to the development of 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 firmware 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 development—from early architecture through to commercialization.
What will you do?
You will design and develop embedded firmware, contributing to system architecture and ensuring reliable, secure, and high-performance operation of analytical instruments.
Firmware Development & Architecture
- Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for microcontroller- and processor-based systems
- Define firmware architecture, interfaces, and design patterns to ensure scalability, maintainability, and reliability
- Develop real-time control algorithms and communication stacks
Hardware Integration & System Design
- Collaborate with electrical engineers on board bring-up, hardware validation, and root-cause analysis
- Contribute to system-level design, including partitioning between firmware, hardware, and higher-level software
- Lead firmware integration and support system verification and validation activities
Quality, Security & Compliance
- Ensure firmware aligns with cybersecurity and quality requirements in regulated environments
- Support secure boot concepts and firmware update mechanisms
- Participate in risk analysis, design reviews, and failure mode evaluation
- Develop automated unit and integration tests to improve quality and regression coverage
Technical Leadership & Collaboration
- Mentor engineers and provide technical guidance across firmware development
- Collaborate with hardware, software, systems, and test teams across global R&D
- Support field issue investigation and resolution when required
- Influence technical direction and contribute to continuous improvement of tools, processes, and documentation
Innovation & Productivity
- Leverage modern tools, including AI-assisted development, to improve code quality, testing, documentation, and engineering efficiency
Qualifications & Skills
- Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, or a related field
- Extensive experience in embedded firmware development within product-based environments
- Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems
- Experience with microcontrollers and embedded processors in real-world hardware environments
- Proven experience in hardware–software integration, board bring-up, and debugging using lab instrumentation
- Experience implementing communication protocols (e.g., SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet)
- Experience with real-time systems (RTOS or bare-metal architectures)
- Solid understanding of embedded system architecture, real-time constraints, and electronics fundamentals
- Experience working in cross-functional teams (hardware, software, systems, test)
- Experience in regulated or quality-driven environments and familiarity with secure firmware practices (e.g., secure boot, firmware updates) preferred
- Familiarity with version control and CI/CD practices in embedded environments
- Strong debugging and root-cause analysis skills across hardware and software boundaries
- Ability to work independently on complex technical problems and influence technical direction
- Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across distributed teams
- Analytical, systems-thinking mindset with strong problem-solving skills
- Interest in leveraging AI-assisted development tools to improve productivity and quality