Cochlear’s mission is to help people hear and be heard. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear is dedicated to helping people with moderate to profound hearing loss experience a world full of sound. We aim to transform the way people understand and treat hearing loss and innovate to connect people with future technologies. Our employees tell us that the number one reason they enjoy working for Cochlear is the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives. Learn and grow with us as we tackle the most complex challenges in helping more people to experience a lifetime of hearing.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Director, Embedded Software Development & Delivery, the Embedded Software Platform Architect is responsible for defining and driving the architectural direction of the embedded software platform that underpins Cochlear's Sound Processor portfolio.
This is a strategic technical leadership role with end-to-end responsibility for ensuring the platform architecture remains scalable, maintainable and fit-for-purpose across both Cochlear Implant (CI) and Acoustic product lines.
As the architectural authority for the embedded software platform, you will influence technical direction, champion platform engineering practices, maximise reuse across product families and enable the efficient delivery of future products and variants.
Working closely with Systems Architects, Engineering Managers, Senior Engineers, Product Development teams and external technology partners, you'll ensure architecture remains at the heart of product planning, delivery and long-term platform evolution.
Responsibilities include:
Platform Architecture & Strategy
Define and drive the architectural vision for Cochlear's embedded software platform across multiple product lines.
Act as the design authority, ensuring architectural consistency, scalability and alignment with future product needs.
Evaluate technical risks, trade-offs and impacts to guide long-term platform evolution.
Platform Engineering & Reuse
Champion Product Family Engineering practices that maximise reuse, modularity and scalability.
Drive platform strategies that balance product differentiation, maintainability and delivery efficiency.
Reduce technical debt and improve quality through robust architecture, verification and test approaches.
Platform Evolution & Delivery
Own the roadmap for platform improvements and future capability development.
Assess new initiatives for platform impact, feasibility and investment requirements.
Influence tooling, CI/CD and engineering practices to improve efficiency, quality and delivery outcomes.
Technical Leadership
Mentor and support engineers in architecture, design patterns and engineering best practices.
Guide teams through complex technical challenges and architectural decision-making.
Champion modern engineering approaches, including AI-assisted development, testing and verification.
Governance & Stakeholder Engagement
Represent Embedded Software Architecture in governance forums and cross-functional initiatives.
Partner with Systems, Electrical and Customer Software teams, as well as external technology partners.
Advise leaders on architectural opportunities, risks and strategic technology decisions.
Communication & Documentation
Own and maintain architecture documentation, roadmaps and technical strategies.
Communicate complex technical concepts effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
About You. As we grow our operations, we are looking for people who share our passion delivering safe, effective, and high-quality hearing solutions. To add value to Cochlear in this role, you'll be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:
Essential Experience
Degree qualification in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
Significant experience designing and architecting complex embedded software systems.
Strong understanding of platform engineering, software reuse, modular architectures and scalability across product families.
Deep technical expertise across multiple embedded software domains, including signal processing, connectivity, RTOS, system services and hardware abstraction.
Experience influencing technical direction across complex, cross-functional engineering organisations.
Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and provide technical leadership without direct line management responsibility.
Experience working within regulated development environments, ideally involving IEC 62304, ISO 14971 or similar quality frameworks.
Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes.
You'll stand out if you bring experience within medical devices or other highly regulated industries, combined with expertise in architecture modelling approaches such as SysML, UML or AADL.
Experience developing embedded software in C, C++ and Python, together with knowledge of multi-core embedded architectures and real-time operating systems, will be highly regarded.
Exposure to Product Family Engineering, variability management and platform reuse practices, along with experience working with external technology partners, semiconductor vendors or platform providers, will be advantageous.
Knowledge of hearing technology, signal processing or audio systems would be an added bonus.
Why this role is for you?
Shape the future of Cochlear's embedded software platform and influence technology used across multiple product families.
Solve complex architectural challenges while working alongside some of Cochlear's most experienced engineers and architects.
Help deliver life-changing hearing solutions that improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
If you feel that you have the skills and experience to be successful in this role and take on new challenges to build your career with Cochlear, please start your application by clicking the apply button below.
#CochlearCareers
How we recognise your contribution
At Cochlear we value and welcome the unique contributions, perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds of our employees and aim to build a culture that celebrates and leverages these differences, creating a sense of belonging and enabling our people to realise their full potential. Through our internal programs and employee benefits, we aim to create an environment where our people will feel value and supported. Whether your focus is on continuous learning, professional development or simply finding an environment which enables you to thrive whilst balancing family or personal life commitments, then we have several programs in place to support you.
For more information about Life at Cochlear, visit www.cochlearcareers.com
Cochlear Sydney, New South Wales, AUS Office
Sydney, Australia
