Software Development Engineer IV - Windows Instrumentation and Automation

Bruker develops scientific instruments and analytical solutions that support research in life sciences, materials, and related fields. The company is seeking a hands-on Staff Software Engineer to architect and develop Windows desktop software for automated atomic force microscopes, integrating hardware control, real-time workflows, data acquisition, processing, persistence, and visualization while providing technical leadership.

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:

• Remote employees must be able to collaborate effectively with a Santa Barbara-based team with no more than a three-hour time difference
• Remote employees may be asked to travel to Santa Barbara up to two times per year
• This is a Windows desktop, scientific instrumentation, and hardware-control position. It is not a web, mobile, or cloud application development role. Candidates whose experience is primarily web application development will not meet the core requirements
• The successful candidate will bring meaningful production experience with AI coding agents and will be expected to use and advance these workflows responsibly
• 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
• When working onsite, ability to lift and move equipment weighing up to 30 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation
• Ability and willingness to work periodically in a Class 1000 cleanroom using full gowning protocol and laboratory-appropriate attire. These requirements also apply to remote employees during onsite visits
• 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