Lead Software Architect - f/m/x
About the job
- A degree in computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or a comparable field, along with several years of professional software development experience.
- Several years of experience in software architecture and design for complex systems or machines in industrial metrology, automation, or related high-tech domains.
- Profound knowledge of designing modular, distributed, and high-reliability software systems, including interface and API design.
- Practical experience with modern programming languages and technologies relevant to machine control and data processing, as well as version control, continuous integration and continuous delivery, and testing.
- Experience in hardware–software co-development, ideally in collaboration with system engineering, electronics, and controls.
- Strong analytical thinking, systematic working methods, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make well-founded architectural decisions under constraints.
- Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with interdisciplinary stakeholders.
- Experience with software development processes and methods, such as agile development, the V-model, or hybrid approaches, and corresponding toolchains.
- Very good English skills.
- Willingness to travel.
- Take technical ownership of the overall software architecture for a wafer inspection and analysis tool for semiconductor wafers.
- Define and evolve a modular, scalable, and maintainable software architecture covering system control, data acquisition, data processing, user interface, and integration into fab environments.
- Collaborate with the Lead System Engineer to enable hardware–software co-development and align system architecture, control concepts, and data flows across all layers.
- Translate system and customer requirements into software requirements, components, and interfaces, and ensure traceability throughout the development lifecycle in collaboration with product management and product architects.
- Define and maintain internal and external software interface specifications, communication protocols, and data models.
- Guide the selection and use of technologies, frameworks, and development tools in alignment with ZEISS standards and long-term product strategy.
- Drive and coordinate software design reviews, code quality measures, and architectural governance with development teams.
- Define and support software integration, testing, and deployment strategies, including automated testing and continuous integration and continuous delivery concepts where applicable.
- Collaborate with product management, system engineering, and other disciplines to balance performance, robustness, usability, cybersecurity, and maintainability.
- Assess and mitigate software-related technical risks, support effort estimations, and manage architectural change requests.
- Act as the technical contact for software architecture within the project, representing software in reviews, design boards, and customer or partner discussions.
- Foster technical excellence, clean architecture, and continuous improvement within software development teams.
- Experience in the semiconductor environment is advantageous.
- A PhD is a plus.
About the company
Zeiss SMT designs and makes high-precision optical systems for semiconductor manufacturing, including lithography optics, photomask solutions, and process-control components. Its products are used in lithography equipment to project circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, with responsibilities spanning advanced optics, mask technology, and monitoring tools that ensure precise, repeatable imaging.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$1.1B
Headquarters
Oberkochen, Germany
Founded
2001
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- First-half 2025/26 revenue reached €5.841 billion, with EBIT rising to €955 million.
- ZEISS CLINIC 360 won FDA 510(k) clearance on August 19, 2026.
- EURETINA 2026 launches expanded retina imaging, cataract systems, and DORC brand integration.
What critics are saying
- ZEISS Meditec plans up to 1,000 cuts by 2029, signaling margin pressure.
- Göttingen workers entered mediation in February 2026 after Zeiss targeted roughly 140 jobs.
- ASML scanner timing controls ZEISS SMT revenue; any slip delays optics demand immediately.
What makes Zeiss unique
- ZEISS supplies ASML's exclusive EUV optics, anchoring High-NA lithography through 2030.
- ZEISS Medical Technology bundles imaging, software, and surgery across one ophthalmic workflow stack.
- ZEISS CLINIC 360 and Collaborative Care tie devices, cloud analytics, and referrals together.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Paid Vacation
Performance Bonus
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
0%1 year growth
0%2 year growth
0%ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) has launched two systems for advanced chip packaging: ZEISS NLX and ZEISS DUNE. The company announced them in San Francisco on October 12, 2026, as chips grow more complex. ZEISS NLX inspects the inside of chip packages without damaging them. It helps manufacturers spot defects in connections between stacked dies early, and it handles 300-millimetre wafers in both process development and high-volume production. ZEISS DUNE measures the topography of a wafer and corrects wafer bow individually. This helps avoid yield losses in downstream processing and prepares bonding processes. ZEISS SMT is showing the systems at SEMICON West, alongside its photomask tools. The company is also marking 100 years of business in the US in 2026.
ZEISS Medical Technology has announced expansions to its ZEISS Retina Workflow at the EURETINA 2026 congress in Vienna. The company introduced the ZEISS ALTA DUO 300, combining OCT and fundus imaging in a single device for streamlined retinal diagnostics. ZEISS also unveiled the HMDmd CR3, a head-mounted 3D display that connects with the ZEISS ARTEVO 850 surgical microscope. The company reported that its DORC ILM-BLUE and DORC MEMBRANEBLUE-DUAL vitreoretinal surgical dyes reached a 3 million milestone. Additionally, ZEISS announced that the DORC brand will be consolidated under the ZEISS brand name, unifying the company's ophthalmic offerings. The DORC TDC VELOCE cutter continues to show improvements in 27G vitrectomy procedures, with clinical data suggesting up to 41% shorter core vitrectomy times.
ZEISS Medical Technology has expanded its retinal imaging portfolio with the launch of ZEISS ALTA DUO 300, a fully automated, compact multimodal imaging solution. The device combines optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus photography in a single unit, designed to provide efficient retinal assessment for eye care practices. The ALTA DUO 300 features four key diagnostic technologies: automated structural OCT with reference database and reporting, true colour fundus camera, AI-enhanced OCT-Angiography, and full chamber depth anterior OCT scanning. The device aims to integrate retinal imaging into everyday patient care through simplified workflows. The product will be showcased at the European Society of Retina Specialists congress in Vienna from 1-4 October and will be available in select markets later in 2026.
ZEISS Medical Technology has launched a cataract-only configuration of its DORC EVA NEXUS ophthalmic surgical system. The system features a cataract grade selection with up to four programmable presets, allowing surgeons to optimise phaco, aspiration, and irrigation settings for each surgical step. The solution includes VacuFlow VTi pump, SMART IOP, and EVA EQUIPHACO technologies, designed to provide streamlined performance, stability, and control during procedures. It integrates with the ZEISS Cataract Workflow portfolio. The system debuted at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons congress in London. It will become available in select European countries from September 2026, with global rollout pending regulatory approvals. The technology expands ZEISS's existing EVA NEXUS platform, which previously focused on retina workflows.
ZEISS Medical Technology announced FDA 510(k) clearance for ZEISS CLINIC 360, a cloud-based software solution that aggregates ophthalmic clinical data and provides advanced analytics. The browser-based platform combines diagnostic and medical data into a comprehensive patient view, helping clinicians evaluate disease progression and support treatment decisions. The solution integrates data from DICOM-enabled diagnostic devices, including ZEISS's CIRRUS, CLARUS and HFA systems, as well as third-party devices. It features disease-based summaries, interactive analysis tools, and collaboration capabilities through ZEISS Collaborative Care. ZEISS CLINIC 360 will be available in the US in early autumn 2026 on a subscription basis with low upfront costs. The platform complements ZEISS FORUM, the company's on-premise data management system, giving providers flexibility in choosing their preferred infrastructure approach.