Willow Innovations, Inc.
Sr Director of Engineering (EE, Firmware, Software & Cloud)
Be an Early Applicant
Leads and architects a multidisciplinary engineering organization spanning electrical, firmware, mobile, software, and cloud systems. Provides hands-on technical leadership in system architecture, design reviews, troubleshooting, quality standards, and secure development. Recruits and mentors engineering teams, manages external vendors and manufacturers, oversees budgets and deliverables, and partners with product, quality, regulatory, and operations teams to deliver reliable connected healthcare products from development through mass production.
Willow is a platform for products that help improve the lives and health of women. We are a mission-driven team of experienced inventors, mothers, and fathers dedicated to making a difference in women’s lives. The Willow™ Wearable Breast Pump, selected as one of TIME's 25 Best Inventions in 2017 and 2018 CES Innovation Award for Wearable Technologies, is the first solution in our platform.
Willow is seeking a Senior Director of Engineering to lead, scale, and architect our multi-disciplinary engineering organization spanning Electrical Engineering (EE), Embedded Firmware, Cloud Infrastructure, and Mobile/Software Applications.
In this role, you will be the primary technical bridge connecting physical hardware to our cloud and mobile ecosystem. You will balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical execution, diving deep into system architecture, design reviews, and technical problem-solving alongside your teams. You will manage a hybrid delivery model—leading in-house engineering leads while orchestrating external design houses, contract manufacturers (CMs), and outsourced software teams to bring high-reliability, connected healthcare products to market.
Key ResponsibilitiesTechnical Leadership & Hands-On Engineering
- Act as the chief technical authority across Willow’s end-to-end stack: Electrical Engineering (PCBA design, power management, sensors), Firmware (RTOS, low-power BLE), Software (iOS/Android), and Cloud (AWS/GCP, APIs, analytics).
- Remain actively engaged in technical execution: drive system-level architecture, lead design reviews (schematics, layout, firmware architecture, API design), and jump in to troubleshoot complex technical bottlenecks.
- Define and enforce technical standards, code quality metrics, hardware test procedures, and secure software development lifecycles (SDLC).
- Manage, recruit, and mentor a high-performing, multi-disciplinary engineering team across EE, firmware, cloud, and mobile disciplines.
- Build a culture of accountability, innovation, technical rigor, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Establish career paths, performance management, and continuous learning programs for engineering staff.
- Direct and manage external development partners, offshore software agencies, specialized design houses, and hardware manufacturing partners (JDM/ODM/CM).
- Negotiate statements of work (SOWs), manage vendor budgets, track technical deliverables, and ensure external code/hardware designs meet internal standards.
- Establish clear handoff protocols between external development partners and internal sustaining/operations teams.
- Partner closely with Product Management, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, and Operations to translate product requirements into executable technical roadmaps and project timelines.
- Ensure engineering practices comply with relevant regulatory requirements (e.g., FDA medical device software controls, ISO 13485, IEC 60601, HIPAA, and data privacy standards).
- Balance technical debt, performance, cost of goods sold (COGS), feature velocity, and product reliability.
QualificationsRequired Experience & Technical Depth
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
- Experience: 12+ years of progressive engineering experience in connected consumer hardware, IoT, or medical devices, with at least 5+ years in engineering leadership (Director level or above).
- Multi-Domain Mastery: Demonstrated technical depth across all four required core domains:
- Electrical Engineering: Mixed-signal PCB design, low-power battery management, sensor integration, BLE design, and RF compliance.
- Firmware: Embedded C/C++, RTOS, microcontroller architectures (e.g., Nordic, STM32), and low-level communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART).
- Software & Cloud: Mobile application architecture (iOS/Android), cloud platforms (AWS/GCP), microservices, RESTful APIs, and IoT device management.
- Hands-On Capability: Proven ability to remain technical—able to read schematics, evaluate codebases, review system interfaces, and guide architectural decisions without relying solely on delegated oversight.
- Vendor Management: Deep experience managing third-party engineering vendors, offshore development teams, and contract manufacturers through full product lifecycles (NPI through mass production).
- Experience in regulated medical devices (FDA 510(k), IEC 62304 software lifecycle) or high-reliability consumer health technologies.
- Proven track record of delivering successful, high-volume consumer IoT products from concept through mass manufacturing.
- Familiarity with data security, encryption standards for connected hardware, and healthcare privacy compliance (HIPAA/GDPR).
Willow is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability, or Veteran status.
Similar Jobs
Fintech • HR Tech
Build and evolve backend payroll platform services and APIs used by multiple engineering teams. Own a core domain, ensuring correctness, scalability, reliability, performance, and observability. Lead architecture and design decisions, solve ambiguous technical problems independently, and partner with product and engineering teams on platform adoption. Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver compliant payroll capabilities while promoting responsible use of AI-assisted development tools.
Top Skills:
Backend ServicesClaude CodeCursorInternal ApisLlmsRuby
.png)
Agency • Digital Media • eCommerce • Social Media • Business Intelligence
Develop and execute SEO and Generative Engine Optimization strategies to improve brand visibility across search engines and LLM platforms. Responsibilities include SEO and GEO audits, content optimization, technical SEO implementation, LLM visibility and sentiment analysis, performance reporting, and testing emerging AI search practices. The role collaborates with developers and communicates actionable insights to clients and stakeholders.
Top Skills:
AhrefsCore Web VitalsCSSExcelGoogle Analytics 4Google Search ConsoleGoogle SheetsHTMLLlmsPeec.AiProfoundSchema MarkupSemrushXml Sitemaps
Artificial Intelligence • Big Data • Cloud • Information Technology • Software • Cybersecurity • Data Privacy
Own bookings growth across new and existing enterprise accounts in Northern California. Develop territory and account strategies, generate pipeline, prospect, qualify, manage, and close complex sales opportunities. Acquire net-new customers, expand existing accounts, exceed quotas, and collaborate with sales engineers, development teams, distributors, VARs, and channel partners. Present solutions in complex data center environments and provide market feedback to leadership.
Top Skills:
Data Center TechnologiesIt InfrastructureSaas Security
What you need to know about the Austin Tech Scene
Austin has a diverse and thriving tech ecosystem thanks to home-grown companies like Dell and major campuses for IBM, AMD and Apple. The state’s flagship university, the University of Texas at Austin, is known for its engineering school, and the city is known for its annual South by Southwest tech and media conference. Austin’s tech scene spans many verticals, but it’s particularly known for hardware, including semiconductors, as well as AI, biotechnology and cloud computing. And its food and music scene, low taxes and favorable climate has made the city a destination for tech workers from across the country.
Key Facts About Austin Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 180,500; 13.7% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Dell, IBM, AMD, Apple, Alphabet
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, hardware, cloud computing, software, healthtech
- Funding Landscape: $4.5 billion in VC funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Live Oak Ventures, Austin Ventures, Hinge Capital, Gigafund, KdT Ventures, Next Coast Ventures, Silverton Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: University of Texas, Southwestern University, Texas State University, Center for Complex Quantum Systems, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Texas Advanced Computing Center
