Job Description
Lead Systems Engineer
Fast-Track to R&D Lead
Reporting to: Head of R&D / CTO |
Industry: Medical Devices | Oncology Supportive Care
ABOUT STEMTECH
Every year, millions of cancer patients face a choice no one should have to make — endure chemotherapy and lose their hair, or avoid treatment altogether. StemTech Medical Devices exists to change that.
We are India's leading oncology supportive care company, and our flagship Eva scalp cooling system is clinically proven to prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss — giving patients back a piece of their dignity, identity, and confidence during the hardest fight of their lives. Eva is already trusted at India's top cancer centers, and we are just getting started. Featured on Shark Tank India Season 3, StemTech is a fast-moving, founder-led medtech startup that is redefining what patient centered cancer care looks like in India and beyond. We move with the urgency of a startup and the discipline of a regulated medical device company — because our patients deserve both.
We are now building the R&D team that will define what StemTech builds next. If you want your engineering work to matter — truly matter — this is where you belong.
THE ROLE:
Most engineers spend years waiting for the chance to own something. At StemTech, that chance is now.
This is a promotion-level opportunity for a high-performing embedded systems engineer who is ready to step
up from executing technical tasks to owning complete product programs that reach real patients.
You will move from being a skilled contributor to being the technical leader — the person who sets direction, makes the calls, and is accountable for the outcome.
You will lead the full arc: idea to prototype, prototype to clinical validation, validation to manufacturing. Not a phase. The whole journey. And the products you build will directly improve the lives of cancer patients across India and globally.
This role is designed as a fast-track leadership pathway to R&D Lead within 3–4 years — for the engineer who is ready to outgrow what a large corporate structure can offer them.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Product R&D Leadership
• Own assigned product lines from concept through design transfer — not a phase, the whole arc
• Drive idea conceptualisation, rapid prototyping, and feasibility with speed and discipline
• Translate product requirements into technical architectures, development plans, and milestones
• Be the single accountable engineer for product technical outcomes
2. Embedded Hardware & Firmware Development (Hands-On)
• Personally lead embedded firmware and hardware development, PCBA design, and system bring-up
• Ensure designs meet performance, reliability, and regulatory requirements
• Drive embedded architecture decisions with a clear rationale — not by committee
3. Design Quality, Standards & Risk Management
• Lead DFMEA development and structured root cause analysis across the product lifecycle
• Champion Design for Manufacturing (DFM) from the earliest concept stage
• Produce and own all relevant design documentation — design inputs/outputs, test protocols, traceability
• Drive product development in compliance with relevant international standards, including IEC 60601
(medical electrical equipment), EMC / IEC 61000 series, and applicable ISO standards
• Own pre-compliance and compliance testing strategy — plan early, not as an afterthought
• Work with test labs and notified bodies as required; understand what certification pathways mean for
design decisions
4. Vendor Sourcing & Management
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard component suppliers and contract manufacturing partners
• Manage technical communication, negotiations, and relationship continuity with key vendors
• Drive vendor performance on cost, quality, and delivery commitments
5. Budget & Execution Discipline
• Own project budgets and make pragmatic engineering decisions to deliver within constraints
• Identify creative paths forward when cost or resource pressure arises — a builder mindset is non-
negotiable
• Run structured milestone reviews, risk tracking, and executive communication on program status
IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
3–5 years of embedded systems experience in a product development environment. Currently working as a
senior embedded engineer or technical lead, ready to own more.
Core Technical Background
• Active, hands-on experience in embedded firmware and hardware — this is not a desk role
• PCBA design, schematic review, and electronics bring-up experience
• Medical device development background, ideally across prototype through manufacturing transfer
• Working knowledge of relevant standards — IEC 60601, EMC / IEC 61000, ISO 14971 (risk
management), and related — and how they shape design decisions from day one
• Familiarity with design documentation, V&V activities, and regulated development workflows
Leadership & Ownership Markers
- Has led technical tasks and workstreams — not just contributed to them
- Comfortable operating independently; doesn't wait to be told what to do next
- Demonstrated history of overachieving on product timelines and technical outcomes
- Wants to grow beyond embedded work into full systems engineering and R&D leadership
WHERE WE FIND YOU
We know the right candidate could be coming from a range of industries. We are actively targeting talent
from:
Med Device Consulting Firms
Engineers from firms like BETIC who have navigated regulated product
development across multiple device types and clients — broad technical
exposure, fast-moving environments.
Consumer Electronics & IoT
Embedded engineers from high-velocity consumer product companies —
strong hardware/firmware foundations, rapid iteration, and manufacturing
experience.
Robotics Mechatronics and embedded systems engineers with real-time firmware, system integration, and
hardware co-design backgrounds.
Wearables & Medtech Startups
Experience with miniaturised hardware, low-power firmware, sensor integration, and design-for-manufacturing — highly transferable to our product environment.
GROWTH PATH & CAREER VISIBILITY
Year 1–2
- Own the full product development lifecycle for assigned R&D programs
- Lead embedded hardware and firmware development from concept to working prototype
- Establish vendor relationships, manage project budgets, and hit development milestones
- Build credibility as the technical anchor on product programs
Year 2–3
- Expand scope to lead multiple concurrent product lines
- Contribute to R&D roadmap planning and technology strategy
- Mentor junior engineers and raise the technical baseline of the team
- Lead cross-functional design transfer to manufacturing
Year 3–4
- Eligible for elevation to R&D Lead or Head of Systems Engineering
- Strategic input into new product categories and platform decisions
- Promotions are performance-led — driven by product impact, team growth, and technical leadership
WHY THIS MAKES STRATEGIC SENSE FOR YOUR CAREER
- Immediate elevation to end-to-end product ownership — not a slice of someone else's project
- Faster track to R&D Lead / Head of Systems Engineering than in a large corporate structure
- Direct interaction with founders and influence over product and technology strategy
- Broader scope than your current role — systems, firmware, hardware, vendors, and manufacturing
- Build and shape a world-class R&D capability at a company that is scaling fast
WHO WILL THRIVE HERE
• Engineers who are technically excellent but feel constrained by the narrow scope a large corporate
structure gives them
• People who lie awake thinking about the product — not just the task they were assigned
• Professionals who want their work to have a name on it, not disappear into a team of fifty
• Anyone who is energised by the idea that the thing they design and build will one day help a cancer
patient keep their hair — and their confidence — through chemotherapy
• Leaders in the making who want to get there in 5 years, not 10
COMPENSATION
• Competitive fixed salary aligned with industry benchmarks for the level and scope
• Performance-linked variable component tied to product and program outcomes
