Staff Motor Control Firmware Engineer jobs in United States
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Capstan Medical · 3 days ago

Staff Motor Control Firmware Engineer

positionSanta Cruz County, CA
timeFull-time
remoteHybrid
seniorityLead/Staff
date8+ years exp

Capstan Medical is revolutionizing cardiac care with a groundbreaking robotic platform for transcatheter valve deployment. They are seeking a Staff Motor Control Firmware Engineer to design and implement firmware that drives their 12-axis robotic system, ensuring precision and safety in actuator behavior.

MedicalMedical DeviceRobotics

Responsibilities

Design and implement BLDC motor control algorithms including commutation logic, field-oriented control (FOC), and current/velocity/position control loops
Develop bare-metal firmware in C for STM32 microcontrollers (Cortex-M4), optimizing for deterministic real-time performance
Implement PWM generation, Hall sensor feedback processing, and closed-loop control for precision motion
Build current sensing, fault detection, and protection mechanisms to ensure safe motor operation
Develop and integrate CAN bus communication for coordination with the main robot controller
Characterize and tune motor performance—you’ll be at the bench with an oscilloscope as much as you’re in the code
Collaborate with electrical engineering on motor driver hardware, power electronics, and PCB bring-up
Work with the controls team to integrate low-level motor firmware with higher-level motion planning and EtherCAT infrastructure
Establish testing practices for embedded firmware, including hardware-in-the-loop testing and automated regression
Document firmware architecture, interfaces, and calibration procedures for regulatory submissions

Qualification

Embedded C programmingSTM32 microcontrollersMotor control experienceControl systems fundamentalsCommunication protocolsHardware debugging skillsAnalog signal conditioningRTOS experiencePCB schematic readingEmbedded testing frameworksMedical device experienceFunctional safety concepts

Required

BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent
8+ years of hands-on embedded firmware development
Demonstrated experience shipping motor control systems to production
Track record of taking motor control from bring-up through tuning to reliable operation
Comfortable working across the hardware/software boundary—you're not afraid of schematics or soldering irons
Ability to work in a hybrid environment, onsite 3 days a week at our Santa Cruz, CA office

Preferred

Experience with motor driver ICs and gate driver integration
RTOS experience (FreeRTOS or similar)—we may introduce one as complexity grows
PCB schematic reading and ability to work closely with EE on hardware debug
Experience with EtherCAT or other industrial fieldbus protocols
Familiarity with embedded testing frameworks and CI for firmware
Medical device or safety-critical systems experience
Knowledge of functional safety concepts (IEC 61508, ISO 13849)

Company

Capstan Medical

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Capstan Medical is creating minimally invasive technologies to treat heart valve disorders.
dateFounded in 2020
location
Santa Cruz, California, USA
people-size51-200 employees
web-link
https://capstanmedical.com

Funding

Current Stage
Growth Stage
Total Funding
$141.4M
Key Investors
Eclipse Ventures
2024-12-11Series C· $110M
2023-08-09Series B· $31.4M

Leadership Team

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Dan Wallace
Founder & CTO at Capstan Medical
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Recent News

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