Director, Product Firmware

Covid Protocol:

Upholding the company values is extremely important to Sonova, we take the health and safety of our employees, patients, customers and their families very seriously. To that end, we have concluded that the best way to ensure the safety of these individuals is to mandate that all our newly hired employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Therefore, when considering whether to apply for this position, please know that in order to become employed by Sonova (if otherwise eligible), you must provide satisfactory proof, such as a vaccine card or other documentation, that you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. You will not be required to provide this proof unless and until you receive a formal job offer from Sonova. Please also know that Sonova will provide accommodations to qualified individuals who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccination because of a sincerely held religious belief or due to a medical issue or pregnancy.

Overview

Lead and manage the R&D Product Firmware Development Team responsible for developing integrated software for cochlear implants. Providing strategic direction for development of new products and platforms. Active contribution to R&D process improvement.

What you’ll do:

Line management:

• Management (people, budget and resource allocation) of the Product Firmware Development Team, including Managers, Experts and individual contributors.
• Responsible for staffing the team with high caliber personnel and maintaining the skill levels of the team.
• Support personal development of employees trough coaching and mentoring, identify and develop talents and potential, build human capital and enhance the quality of work atmosphere and collaboration within the Product Firmware team and Advanced Bionics.

Operational tasks:

• Coordination, planning and scheduling of product development tasks in close collaboration with other R&D groups and Project Management.
• Supervising of team members and providing guidance in a wide variety of aspects, ranging from task scheduling over technical considerations to Medical Class III documentation.
• Ensure adherence of designs and processes to applicable industry standards and internal quality system standards.
• Use a system level view to drive tradeoff analysis during product development while considering features, schedules, cost, complexity, risk and usability.
• Work closely with Electrical Engineering (RF, Board & IC), Systems, Software and Mechanical Engineering teams during the product development and system integration phase.
• Maintain design history consistent with the submission requirements of regulatory agencies.

Strategic tasks:

• Comprehensive understanding of how Product Firmware integrates within R&D and supports other functions to achieving the goals of the business
• Working with Franchise Leadership Teams, Marketing, Project Management and other R&D functions to define architecture, guide requirements and generate product specifications for future generation platforms with a solid understanding of market needs.
• Active contribution to process improvement, both within Product Firmware, as well as on R&D level, to continuously increase processes efficiency and quality of development.

What you bring to the team:

Education

• University degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science, or similar

Nice to Have

• Specialization in embedded software

Further Education

• Leadership Training

     Nice to Have

• Project Management

Work Experience

• 8+ years proven experience in leading small to mid-sized development teams in the area of embedded software development.

Nice to Have

• Experience in medical device development, particular Class 3.

Personal Competencies

• Willingness to take on responsibility
• Self-confidence, decisiveness
• Anticipation of problems and opportunities
• Contribution of ideas and suggestions
• Solution orientation, not problem orientation
• Holistic thinking
• Development of adequate solutions
• Personal organization, efficiency

Social Competencies

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, being able to interact with all levels in the organization, up to senior management
• Listening and understanding
• Ability to convince objectively
• Dealing with different points of view
• Accountability, reliability

Leadership Competencies

• Sets priorities and objectives
• Stays focused and monitors progress
• Enables and empowers to take ownership
• Creates commitment by building a meaningful purpose
• Fosters continuous improvement
• Keeps talents in the challenge zone

Professional Competencies

• Experience in the implementation and testing of embedded software
• Good understanding of electronic systems

Nice to Have

• Experience in digital signal processing

Language(s) / Level

• English, advanced

Our offer:

• Exciting and challenging work environment
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Training and development opportunities – we believe every employee deserves a development plan. Come, learn, and grow with us!

Don't meet all the criteria?  If you’re willing to go all in and learn we'd love to hear from you! 

We love to work with great people and strongly believe that a diverse team makes us better.  We guarantee every person equal treatment in regard to employment and opportunity for employment, regardless of race, color, creed/religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, mental or physical disability.

We thank all applicants in advance; however only individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.  All applications will be kept confidential. Sonova is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to complete the application and/or interview process should notify the Director, Human Resources.