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Senior Director, Embedded Systems
Research & Development | San Diego, CA (global team including Singapore)
Position Summary
Illumina is seeking a Senior Director, Embedded Systems to lead the multidisciplinary engineering organization building the embedded architecture of our DNA sequencing instruments: the electronics, firmware, FPGA, custom silicon, and system engineering that acquire signals from novel sensors, drive precision motion, fluidics, thermal, and optics subsystems, and move high volumes of data from sensor through analysis.
The Embedded Systems organization is a global team of electrical, FPGA, firmware, firmware test, hardware test, systems, and compute engineers across San Diego and Singapore that delivers the embedded platforms for every new Illumina sequencer and supports the installed base. In addition, this leader owns the architecture of the on-instrument compute platform and leads a cross-functional effort to define a compute roadmap that delivers the performance next-generation sequencing demands at a sustainable cost.
The role sits at an exciting intersection of genomics, advanced sensing, embedded systems, and high-performance computing. As sequencing throughput continues to increase, we are pushing the boundaries of compute performance, memory and storage bandwidth, networking, and real-time processing, as compute has become a major driver of instrument cost. The development of novel sensors and custom ASICs also creates opportunities to optimize the entire architecture from signal acquisition through genomic data processing.
The Senior Director will define the technology strategy, build a world-class engineering organization, and deliver embedded platforms that are reliable, secure, compliant, and manufacturable at scale.
Responsibilities
Technical Leadership
Oversees the functional managers for electrical engineering, FPGA, firmware, systems engineering and test. Sets technical direction and standards, holding a high bar for architecture and design reviews, and manages process over technical decisions and escalations.
Architecture and roadmap: Define the embedded systems architecture and multi-generation technology roadmap, including electrical architecture, power distribution, interconnects, embedded control, sensor interfaces, FPGA-based data paths, and system management. This strategy includes platform reuse across programs, build-vs-buy and partner decisions, technology investment priorities, the cost and performance roadmap, and setting structure that enables strong execution and delivery.
Electrical, FPGA, and firmware engineering: Set technical direction and design standards for board-level analog, digital, mixed-signal, power, and high-speed design, component selection, SI/PI, design for manufacturing, and supplier technical engagement through design release; for FPGA-based data acquisition and processing from sensor to host, including FPGA design, drivers, data-path bring-up, benchmarks, and test frameworks that ensure data-path robustness; and for the instrument firmware architecture and common codebase (RTOS-based, spanning data path, precision motion, fluidics, optics, thermal, and power) and the agile development and release process that delivers it.
Custom silicon and novel sensors: Define what is possible…