Instrumentation Software Engineer Jobs in California

Bruker is enabling scientists to make breakthrough discoveries and develop new applications that improve the quality of human life. Bruker's high-performance scientific instruments and high-value analytical and diagnostic solutions enable scientists to explore life and materials at molecular, cellular, and microscopic levels. In close cooperation with our customers, Bruker is enabling innovation, improved productivity and customer success in life science molecular research, in applied and pharma applications, in microscopy and nanoanalysis, and in industrial applications, as well as in cell biology, preclinical imaging, clinical phenomics and proteomics research and clinical microbiology.

Today, worldwide more than 11,000 employees are working on this permanent challenge at over 90 locations on all continents. Bruker continues to build upon its extensive range of products and solutions, its broad base of installed systems and a strong reputation among its customers. Being one of the world's leading analytical instrumentation companies, Bruker is strongly committed to further fully meeting its customers' needs as well as continuing to develop state-of-the-art technologies and innovative solutions for today's analytical questions.

The Bruker NANO group is seeking a Staff SW Engineer for Windows Instrumentation and Automation. The Senior Software Engineer will provide programming design and development for Bruker's world leading nano-scale Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) product lines. You will work with other software developers, engineers, and scientists supporting and advancing the state-of-the art nanoscale systems technology by developing software from application design to hardware control. This position requires initiative, innovation, and responsibility working within a cooperative team environment to support existing and realize new customer products.

Location and Work Model

Santa Barbara, California, or fully remote. 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.

Position Summary

Join the team building software for the world's most capable automated atomic force microscopes used in leading semiconductor fabs. Our software operates precision hardware, turns complex measurements into reliable results, and gives scientists and engineers intuitive control over sophisticated instruments.

We are seeking a hands-on Staff Software Engineer to own architecture and implementation across Windows desktop applications, real-time and non-real-time instrument workflows, hardware integration, automation, data acquisition, processing, persistence, and interactive visualization. You will provide technical leadership without stepping away from production code.

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.

Agentic software development is part of how our team engineers software, not an occasional productivity aid. We use GitHub Copilot Business with leading AI models throughout design, implementation, testing, debugging, refactoring, and review. The successful candidate will bring meaningful production experience with AI coding agents and will be expected to use and advance these workflows responsibly.

- 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.

- 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.

Education

- MS or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field is strongly preferred.
- A BS in a related field combined with significant relevant industry, instrumentation, or research experience will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

- 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.

Physical and Environmental Requirements

- 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.

At Bruker, base salary is part of our total compensation. The estimated base salary range for this full-time position is between $107,100 and $190,000 and provides an opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base salary for the role will depend on a several job-related factors, including, but not limited to education, training, experience, the geographic location of the successful candidate, skills, competencies, job-related knowledge and travel requirements for this position. Full-time employees may also be eligible for a performance-related incentive in addition to a full range of benefits including 401(k) with company match, an employee stock purchase plan, medical and dental plans, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, employee assistance program and paid time off including vacation, sick time and holidays, and more.

Bruker is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

Certain positions at Bruker require compliance with export control laws and as a result, all interviewed candidates for all positions will be screened pre-interview to determine their eligibility in light of export control restrictions.

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