Principal Embedded Software Engineer, QNX (m​/f​/d) – Medical Devices

At Alcon, we are driven by the meaningful work we do to help people see brilliantly. We innovate boldly, champion progress, and act with speed as the global leader in eye care. Here, you’ll be recognized for your commitment and contributions and see your career like never before. Together, we go above and beyond to make an impact in the lives of our patients and customers.

We foster an inclusive culture and are looking for diverse, talented people to join Alcon.

Wave Light GmbH in Erlangen is a world leader in the development and production of innovative laser systems for use in eye surgery. Wave Light's laser and diagnostic systems enable a very gentle and at the same time highly precise correction of ametropia. Since 2009, Wave Light has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcon, Inc. a leading global ophthalmic company.

As a Principal Embedded Software Engineer (m/f/d) supporting the R&D Software Engineering Team, you will be trusted to lead embedded software development and drive system architecture at our Erlangen site.

In this role, a typical day will include:

• Define and drive software architecture and requirements aligned with technical, regulatory, lifecycle, and organizational needs
• Lead, guide, and coordinate internal and external development and test teams
• Develop robust, high-quality software in line with harmonization and quality standards
• Implement and continuously optimize AI-driven development workflows (e.g. agent environment, context engineering, MCP, HIL integration)
• Drive adoption of CI/CD for builds, testing, documentation, and reporting while maintaining software quality processes and standards
• Oversee and evaluate the full development lifecycle (requirements → validation), ensure compliance with documentation and contractual requirements, and contribute to IP and patent activities

• 7+ years of software development experience and at least 2 years of technical leadership
• Fluent English and intermediate German, and a degree in Computer Science or similar
• Proven ability to lead distributed, multi-location software teams
• Strong experience in architectural design of embedded systems, especially using QNX
• Hands-on experience developing C++ applications on QNX
• Solid background working in Agile/Scrum environments with tools like Azure Dev Ops (or similar), including feature-driven development and time-boxing
• Proficiency with development tools and processes such as CMake, Conan, and CI/CD pipelines
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and motivate teams
• Ideally experience in regulated industries (medical, automotive, aerospace), familiarity with medical software, technologies like gRPC, hardware drivers/FPGA

You will get a competitive salary & benefit package

You will work in a welcoming and inclusive environment with highly qualified colleagues at a market-leading multinational team

You can contribute to the quality and compliance of innovative medical solutions

Alcon, we are committed to helping people see better. We believe patients should have access to quality eye care regardless of their economic circumstances; however, barriers to good eye health exist for patients in both developed and emerging markets. Alcon develops and manufactures innovative devices to serve the full life cycle of eye care needs. Its surgical group is one of the largest makers of equipment used for cataract removal and laser vision correction.

Its consumer products include the well-known Opti-Free line of contact lens solutions and related products. Alcon, which was founded in 1945, sells its products in 180 countries worldwide.