Foresite Labs · 2 days ago
Senior Staff Engineer, Middleware and Orchestration
San Diego
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$200K/yr - $215K/yr
7+ years expForesite Labs is a venture-backed biotechnology company based in San Diego, focused on developing novel technologies in clinical genomics. The Senior Staff Engineer will design and implement middleware for orchestration in complex distributed embedded systems, collaborating closely with firmware, controls, and systems engineers.
BiopharmaBiotechnologyHealth CareMedical
Responsibilities
Design and implement orchestration middleware for a complex distributed embedded system
Develop high-level scheduling, workflow management, and coordination layers
Define clear abstractions that bridge real-time embedded systems and higher-level application logic
Ensure deterministic behavior, synchronization, and fault handling across many nodes
Architect middleware that scales as system size and complexity grow
Own EtherCAT master integration and development
Bring up, configure, and manage EtherCAT chains in real hardware
Implement and maintain EtherCAT stack components, including:
Device discovery and configuration
Hot-connect/hot-group management
Troubleshoot EtherCAT timing, synchronization, and communication issues
Work directly with hardware, firmware, and field wiring during system bring-up
Lead EtherCAT chain bring-up from first connection through stable operation
Diagnose and resolve issues involving distributed clocks, topology, and bus errors
Develop tooling and diagnostics for EtherCAT visibility and debugging
Collaborate closely with firmware and hardware engineers during integration
Design and implement robust state machines for complex systems
Coordinate transitions across multiple distributes subsystems
Handle error states, recovery paths, and partial system availability
Apply best practices from robotics, automation, and medical Platforms
Develop Python APIs that expose orchestration in a usable, intuitive way
Implement performance-critical middleware layers in C/C++, with Python bindings where appropriate
Enable application, test and automation teams to interact with the system safely and effectively
Balance usability, performance, and determination in API design
Qualification
Required
BS/MS in Computer Science or Engineering
7+ years of experience in middleware, embedded systems, robotics, or distributed control software
Hands-on experience with EtherCAT master and EtherCAT stack development or other similar fieldbus technologies (required)
Proven experience bringing up and managing EtherCAT networks or similar fieldbus networks on real hardware
Strong experience designing orchestration or coordination layers for distributed systems
Expertise in C/C++ and Python
Deep understanding of real-time constraints and synchronized systems
Experience with distributed clocks, deterministic scheduling, and bus timing
Strong background in designing and implementing complex state machines
Familiarity with robotics, industrial automation, or medical device platforms
Comfortable debugging across software, firmware, and physical bus layers
Ability to reason from logs, bus traces, and hardware behavior
Experience working cross-functionally with firmware, hardware, and application teams
Preferred
Experience with ROS, ROS2, or similar robotics frameworks
Familiarity with safety-critical or regulated systems
Experience building simulation or test frameworks for distributed systems
Background in controls or motion systems
Benefits
Competitive compensation and equity package
Comprehensive benefits
Flexibility to support work-life integration
Company
Foresite Labs
Foresite Labs is a biotechnology company. It is a sub-organization of Foresite Capital.
11-50 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Foresite Labs has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2)
2022 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageLeadership Team
Alex Blocker
CTO and Chief Data Scientist
Uplaksh Kumar
COO Foresite Labs and Venture Partner Foresite Capital
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