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Senior Staff Software Engineer Location: Santa Clara, CA (Onsite) Group: Analyzer Product Group (APG), Engineering Role Summary Picarro is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to take a leading role in architecting and developing the low-level software that powers our advanced Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) instrumentation. In this role, you'll serve as a hands-on technical leader—defining system architecture, driving implementation of software on multi-compute platforms, and ensuring seamless integration between FPGA and microcontroller firmware and higher-level software. Your focus will be on PCIe driver development to enable communication between the Linux operating systems and Picarro’s proprietary mixed analog and digital hardware devices, utilizing Linux kernel-level tools to manage hardware registers, DMA, and interrupts, to enable highly performant continuous spectrometer operation. You'll influence design decisions across teams, mentor engineers, and help shape the future of Picarro's firmware and software stack. This position is ideal for an experienced engineer who thrives at the intersection of hardware, firmware, and software—someone who brings both strategic vision and strong technical execution. Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Architecture Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of Linux-based systems, including device drivers, services, and communication interfaces Define and maintain system-level interfaces between firmware, FPGA modules, and high-level applications Drive platform-level decisions related to performance, reliability, scalability, and maintainability Champion best practices for software design, code quality, and modular architecture Hands-On Software Development Develop robust, high-performance C/C++ code for Linux. Experience with real-time operating systems is desirable. Contribute to board bring-up, hardware abstraction layers, and low-level device integration Troubleshoot complex system-level issues spanning hardware, firmware, and software boundaries Implement comprehensive unit and system-level testing to ensure high product reliability Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with hardware, firmware, and application teams to deliver cohesive system solutions Partner with product and systems engineering teams to evaluate trade-offs and optimize designs Engage with external vendors or consultants for specialized firmware and driver components Mentorship & Technical Influence Mentor engineers in advanced embedded development techniques and system design principles Serve as a subject matter expert and thought leader within the embedded systems domain Influence technical direction and elevate engineering standards across the organization Engineering Process & Quality Drive adoption of modern embedded development practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, and version control Participate in and lead technical reviews—ensuring architectural integrity and alignment with long-term goals Ensure compliance with internal quality metrics and external regulatory standards Qualifications Education & Experience BS/MS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field 12+ years of experience in embedded systems software design and development, with proven success delivering complex, production-grade systems Demonstrated experience leading major technical initiatives or system architectures within embedded platforms or instrumentation Technical Expertise Expert in C/C++ programming for embedded Linux and/or real-time systems Deep understanding of Linux kernel, device drivers, and hardware bring-up Experience with communication with embedded HW and FW, including microcontrollers and FPGAs Experience with Python, including bindings to C / C++, middleware development, and  scripti