Senior Software Engineer

Software EngineerReports to: Head of Software & ControlsWorkplace Type: Hybrid (onsite in Santa Cruz 3 days/week)At Capstan Medical, we're building one of the most exciting and innovative companies in medtech—developing a first-of-its-kind robotic platform for minimally invasive heart valve treatment. Our team combines surgical robotics, catheter-based delivery, and next-generation implants to transform complex procedures into safer, lower-stress solutions for patients and clinicians alike. As a highly collaborative, hands-on team, we move fast, wear multiple hats, and believe the best ideas can come from anyone.Based in Santa Cruz, our unique workspace blends cutting-edge Bay Area innovation with a lifestyle-driven environment near trails, beaches, and open space—creating the perfect place to do meaningful, career-defining work.Overview:Join Us in Revolutionizing Cardiac Care from Beautiful Santa CruzImagine building software for life-saving robotics technology while being minutes from world-class surf breaks and redwood forests. We're developing a groundbreaking robotic platform that gives surgeons superhuman precision in transcatheter valve deployment—and we need an exceptional Software Engineer to design and build the complex software systems that make our robot work.You'll be writing code that runs on a real-time robotic system—building features, designing services, solving hard problems, and shipping software that clinicians depend on. We need someone who can architect and implement robust software, and who understands operating systems deeply enough to reason about performance, concurrency, and system behavior when it matters.What You'll Do:Design and build software components for a multi-process robotic system spanning real-time control, system services, and clinical applicationsArchitect and implement services that manage system state, coordinate between processes, and ensure safe operationWrite performant, reliable code in Python, C++, or Rust depending on the requirements of the problemProfile, debug, and optimize software to meet real-time performance constraintsImplement security features and hardening measures for a medical device platformCollaborate with controls engineers, GUI developers, and systems engineers to deliver integrated functionalityContribute to software architecture decisions and drive technical direction for your areas of ownershipWrite clear documentation and participate in design reviewsSupport verification and validation activities to ensure software meets regulatory requirementsSkills:Excellent software engineering fundamentals: you write clean, maintainable, well-tested codeStrong proficiency in Python and C++; Rust experience is a plusDeep understanding of operating systems concepts: processes, threads, IPC, scheduling, memory managementSolid Linux skills: comfortable in the terminal, understands how the OS works under the hoodExperience designing and building complex multi-component software systemsStrong debugging skills—you can track down issues across process boundaries and system layersUnderstanding of concurrency, synchronization, and the challenges of real-time systemsClear communicator who can discuss technical tradeoffs and design decisionsRequirements:BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or equivalent5+ years of professional software engineering experienceTrack record of designing and shipping complex software systemsExperience working on software that interacts closely with hardware or the operating systemThrives in a fast-paced environment where you own problems end-to-endAbility to work in a hybrid environment, onsite 3 days a week at our Santa Cruz, CA office. In the future, there will be an option to work one day from our satellite office in Los Altos, CA.Preferred:Broad experience across software technologies—you've worked in different languages, frameworks, and domains, and you pick up new tools quickly when the problem demands itExperience with robotics software or ROS/ROS2Medical device or safety-critical systems backgroundExperience with real-time systems or performance-critical applicationsFamiliarity with software security practices and system hardeningExperience with distributed systems or service-oriented architecturesBackground in controls, motion planning, or mechatronicsWe are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status.