Senior DevOps Engineer – Desktop Platforms & Release Engineering

Change people’s lives and love what you do! Cochlear develops world-leading medical devices that help people hear. As a top 100 medical device company and market-leader in implantable hearing devices, more people choose a Cochlear-branded cochlear implant system than any other. 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.

Senior DevOps Engineer – Desktop Platforms & Release Engineering

📍 Location: Mechelen, Belgium
🧭 Function: R&D – Clinical & Research Platforms
👥 Role Type: Senior Individual Contributor
🌍 Scope: Global, multi-site

About Cochlear

At Cochlear, we create technology that helps people hear and be heard. Our implantable hearing solutions are used by millions of people worldwide, restoring access to sound, speech, and connection.

Behind every implant is a suite of mission-critical clinical software used daily by audiologists across the globe. These desktop applications program devices, diagnose behaviour, ensure safety, and optimise outcomes for patients of all ages. When this software works well, lives change. When it doesn’t, the consequences are real. 

Position Overview / Purpose

We’re looking for a Senior DevOps Engineer to take full ownership of how we build, test, sign, package, and release our regulated Windows desktop software used in clinical environments worldwide.

This is not cloud-native or SaaS DevOps.

You will work on installed, offline-capable, hardware-integrated Windows applications that must be deterministic, secure, and audit-ready. Reliability directly impacts clinicians and patients — this work matters.

What You Will Lead

As our senior technical specialist for DevOps CI/CD Platforms & Release Engineering, you will design and govern the full end-to-end engineering workflow:

1. Reproducible Windows Build Environments

You define and enforce deterministic, containerised build systems using:

• Docker for Windows

• Pinned toolchains (MSVC, CMake, Qt, .NET)

• Packages management (NuGet, Conan/vcpkg, internal artifact feeds)

2. CI/CD Architecture & Automation

You design reliable, scalable pipelines for complex .NET/C++ desktop applications:

• GitLab CI, TeamCity, Jenkins

• Modular, traceable build/test/release workflows

• Automated artifact promotion and audit trails

3. Hardware-Integrated CI

You build automation that interacts with real hardware, including:

• USB/BLE device communication

• Firmware interaction & validation

• Hardware-in-the-loop integration tests

• Controlled test rigs & measurement pipelines

4. Verification, Security & Compliance Automation

You ensure software quality and regulatory compliancy through:

• Unit, integration & UI test automation

• TestComplete and custom frameworks

• SBOM generation, supply-chain security, CVE monitoring

• Static analysis & dependency scanning

5. Release Engineering Ownership

You run the full release lifecycle:

• Versioning & branching strategy

• Code signing & certificate management

• Installer creation (MSIX, WiX, custom pipelines)

• Secure distribution & release documentation

• Full traceability from commit → clinical release

6. Platform Governance

You define and enforce the standards that engineering teams must follow:

• CI/CD rules

• Build reproducibility

• Dependency governance

• Release quality gates

Who We’re Looking For

• BSc or MSc in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience

• 5+ years in DevOps, Platform Engineering, Build/Release Engineering, Software Configuration Management for complex systems using tools like Jenkins, Teamcity or Gitlab CI

• Expert in Windows build ecosystems (.NET, CMake, MSBuild, MSVC, Qt)

• Experience with containerised Windows builds (Docker)

• Hands-on experience integrating hardware into CI automation

• Confidence working in regulated, safety-critical software environments

• A senior engineer who can influence, set standards, and drive cross-team alignment

Why Join Us

• Senior specialist without people management

• Direct influence on how critical clinical software is built and delivered globally

• Work across Europe & Australia with teams solving meaningful, high-impact engineering challenges

• Shape the next decade of DevOps and release engineering for clinical desktop software

What we offer

An attractive remuneration package and flexible extra-legal benefits

An extensive onboarding and training program

An enjoyable work environment with attention to life-work balance and homeworking

A stimulating environment with growth opportunities and opportunity to meet multi-disciplinary colleagues across the globe

This is your chance to be part of a premier organization with a great culture, working in a dynamic, growing and rapidly evolving environment to deliver outstanding results that benefit our customers every day. Be part of something purposeful and APPLY now by clicking on the link below and see your career grow!

Cochlear Summary

Cochlear’s mission is to help people hear and be heard. Around the world, more people chose a Cochlear-branded hearing implant system than any other. 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 people to Hear Now. And Always. Cochlear is the global market leader in implantable hearing solutions including cochlear implant systems (CI) and bone anchored hearing aids (Baha™).

Equal opportunities