Software Development Engineer IV - Windows Instrumentation and Automation

Bruker develops scientific instruments, including nanoscale atomic force microscopes. The Staff Software Engineer will lead architecture and implementation of Windows software for automated instruments, spanning desktop applications, hardware control, automation, data acquisition, processing, and visualization.

Responsibilities:

• Architect, design, implement, debug, test, and deploy production software for automated scientific instruments and semiconductor metrology systems
• Develop responsive, multithreaded Windows applications using C#, .NET, WPF, and modern C++/STL
• Integrate desktop software with precision motion, nano-positioning, vision, data-acquisition, control, and automation subsystems
• Design low-latency software that coordinates real-time hardware behavior with non-real-time workflows, data persistence, and intuitive interactive controls
• Own architecture for new capabilities and guide their integration into a mature product codebase through sound interfaces, layering, refactoring, and incremental delivery
• Diagnose complex behavior across software and hardware boundaries; lead technical investigations, articulate options and risks, and drive issues to resolution
• Lead software integration and product deployments in partnership with applications, systems, hardware, test, and manufacturing engineering teams
• Remain deeply hands-on while providing technical direction and raising engineering quality across a small cross-functional team
• Use VS Code and AI coding agents as core engineering tools across the software development lifecycle while applying rigorous technical judgment to all generated work

Requirements:

• Candidates whose experience is primarily web application development will not meet the core requirements
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience developing complex production systems
• 3+ years of hands-on Windows application development using both C#/.NET/WPF and modern C++/STL
• Strong object-oriented design, API design, debugging, and refactoring skills in a substantial existing codebase
• Demonstrated experience designing and debugging multithreaded, asynchronous, and performance-sensitive Windows software
• Experience integrating software with hardware, instruments, robotics, automation equipment, or other physical systems with timing and reliability constraints
• Experience building interactive desktop user interfaces and the underlying application, data, and device-control layers
• Demonstrated architecture ownership and technical leadership across subsystem or product boundaries
• Meaningful, regular use of GitHub Copilot or comparable AI coding agents on production software. Candidates should be prepared to discuss specific examples spanning multiple development activities and how they ensure correctness and maintainability
• Ability to collaborate clearly with engineers and domain experts, communicate designs and risks, and lead technical work without direct authority
• A BS in a related field combined with significant relevant industry, instrumentation, or research experience will be considered
• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field is strongly preferred
• Experience with C++/CLI, managed/native interoperability, or MFC in a production Windows codebase
• Experience with scientific instrumentation, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, metrology, robotics, machine vision, motion control, nano-positioning, or automated test equipment
• Experience using architectural layering across hardware interfaces, control logic, data processing, persistence, and desktop presentation layers
• Familiarity with signal or image processing, pattern recognition, numerical methods, or analysis of scientific data
• Domain knowledge of atomic force microscopy, optical spectroscopy, surface metrology, physics, chemistry, or microbiology
• Experience with Scrum or another Agile development approach and a record of improving practical engineering processes
• Experience making effective use of both VS Code and Visual Studio in a Windows development environment