Senior Software Engineer C++ (m/f/d) - Medical Devices

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

As a Senior Software Engineer (m/f/d) supporting the R&D Software Engineering Team, you will be trusted to drive software development and architecture at our Erlangen site. You will lead requirements, design, and delivery while mentoring teams and ensuring regulatory compliance across domains.

In this role, a typical day will include:

• Drive software architecture, requirements, and design aligned with technical, regulatory, lifecycle, and organizational needs
• Guide and support junior developers and test engineers while contributing to team effectiveness
• Develop robust, high-quality software following harmonization and quality standards
• Implement and continuously improve AI-driven workflows (agent environment, context engineering, MCP, HIL integration)
• Drive CI/CD adoption for builds, testing, documentation, and reporting, while maintaining quality processes and standards
• Oversee and evaluate the full development lifecycle (requirements to validation) and contribute to intellectual property and patent activities

WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO ALCON:

• 6+ years of software development experience and at least 2 years of technical leadership
• Fluent English and intermediate German language skills and a Computer Science degree (or equivalent)
• Proven experience working with distributed, multi-location engineering teams
• Strong hands-on expertise in Windows C++ (desktop and client-server), using CMake, Conan, PowerShell, and Python
• Experience in software architecture design for desktop/server applications, plus cloud technologies and protocols
• Strong proficiency in modern C++ (C++17 minimum, ideally C++20) including STL, smart pointers, and template metaprogramming
• Deep understanding of memory management, RAII, and performance optimization in native applications
• Solid experience with multithreading and concurrency (e.g., std::thread, async/futures, thread pools, synchronization primitives, lock-free programming)
• Strong knowledge of software design patterns, data structures, and algorithm design, with the ability to apply them effectively in performance-critical systems
• Experience with UML or similar modeling techniques to communicate architecture and system design
• Solid Agile/Scrum experience (feature-driven development, time-boxing, artifact management) using Azure DevOps or similar tools
• Excellent interpersonal skills for cross-functional collaboration and team motivation, ideally with experience in regulated industries, medical domain, Qt/C#/gRPC

HOW YOU CAN THRIVE AT ALCON:

• 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 Careers

See your impact at alcon.com/careers