Engineering Manager, Desktop Platforms - CI/Research

Cochlear Ltd
Mechelen, Belgium
11 days ago

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Working hours
Regular working hours
Languages
Dutch, English, French
Experience level
Intermediate

Job location

Mechelen, Belgium

Tech stack

Software Applications
Architectural Patterns
Computer Engineering
Continuous Integration
DevOps
Software Engineering
Technical Debt
Information Technology

Job description

We are looking for an Engineering Manager to lead teams within our Desktop Platforms organisation during a period of significant modernisation.

Cochlear is investing heavily in its engineering foundation: reproducible and containerised builds, unified CI/CD, architectural modernisation, stronger cybersecurity, improved release governance, and scalable multi-site execution across Europe and Australia.

This is a technical people-leadership role. You are accountable for outcomes-team capability, delivery predictability, quality, and compliance-rather than hands-on coding or project management. Your leadership directly influences our ability to deliver safe, reliable clinical software at global scale.

What You'll Do

  • Build, lead, and develop high-performing engineering teams delivering clinical desktop software
  • Create clarity and stability in complex, regulated environments
  • Ensure predictable delivery through disciplined planning and early risk management
  • Raise engineering standards across CI/CD, testing, documentation, and quality practices
  • Ensure adherence to architectural patterns and regulatory expectations
  • Partner closely with Architecture, DevOps, QA, Regulatory, Product, and Delivery
  • Drive continuous improvement while reducing technical debt and legacy complexity Foster a culture where quality, safety, and accountability are the default

Requirements

Do you have experience in Software development?, Do you have a Master's degree?, * Experience leading engineering teams delivering complex, long-lived software products

  • Strong people leadership skills: hiring, coaching, feedback, and performance management
  • A solid technical foundation and the ability to engage credibly with architects and senior engineers
  • Familiarity with modern engineering practices (CI/CD, automation, DevOps)
  • Experience in regulated, safety-critical, or quality-driven environments is a strong advantage
  • Comfort operating in global, multi-site organisations Clear communicator with strong judgment, ownership, and calm leadership under pressure

Minimum Requirements

Experience

  • Minimum 10 years of professional experience in software engineering, including significant time (at least 3 years) in engineering leadership or people-management roles.
  • Proven experience leading teams delivering complex, long-lived production software where reliability, quality, and risk management are critical., * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline.
  • Candidates from other engineering backgrounds are considered provided they have substantial, demonstrable experience in professional software development. A rigorous engineering foundation is required; this role is not suitable for non-engineering profiles.

Language Skills

  • Fluent professional English is mandatory (spoken and written). Dutch and/or French are advantageous but not required.

Technical Scope

  • Strong background in modern software engineering practices (CI/CD, automation, testing, DevOps).
  • Experience with desktop or system-level software is a strong advantage. Exposure to regulated, safety-critical, or quality-driven environments is highly valued.

Leadership Scope

  • Demonstrated experience hiring, coaching, and performance-managing engineers, including senior engineers and technical leaders.
  • Ability to operate credibly with Architects, DevOps, QA, Regulatory, Product, and senior leadership. Comfortable owning outcomes, making hard trade-offs, and representing engineering reality at leadership level.

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