Hardware Architect

ZEISS in India

ZEISS in India is headquartered in Bengaluru and present in the fields of Industrial Quality Solutions, Research Microscopy Solutions, Medical Technology, Vision Care and Sports & Cine Optics.

ZEISS India has 3 production facilities, R&D center, Global IT services and about 40 Sales & Service offices in almost all Tier I and Tier II cities in India. With 2200+ employees and continued investments over 25 years in India, ZEISS’ success story in India is continuing at a rapid pace.

Further information at ZEISS India.

The Architect – Hardware is responsible for defining, designing, and delivering robust, high-quality hardware architectures for ZEISS medical devices (Refraction and Centration). The role focuses on end-to-end hardware development, including system architecture, electrical design, and integration with embedded systems, software, sensors, optics, and mechanical components.

This position requires strong expertise in embedded hardware architecture, analog and digital design, and a solid understanding of mechanical systems (sheet metal and plastic components). The architect ensures scalable, reliable, and compliant hardware solutions within a regulated global environment and collaborates closely with cross-functional teams and OEM partners.

Primary duties and responsibilities

Hardware Architecture & System Design

• Define and evolve scalable, reliable, and maintainable hardware architectures for medical devices.

• Lead the design and development of embedded hardware systems, ensuring optimal performance, power efficiency, and system integration.

• Develop system-level architectures covering electronics, embedded platforms, sensors, optical interfaces, and connectivity.

• Ensure seamless interaction between hardware, embedded software, and higher-level application systems.

Electrical Design and Development

• Design and validate complex electrical systems including:

• Analog circuits (signal conditioning, sensor interfacing, power management)

• Digital systems (microcontrollers, processors, communication interfaces)

• Develop schematics, PCB layouts (in collaboration with design teams), and perform design reviews.

• Ensure compliance with relevant standards (EMC, safety, regulatory requirements).

• Drive hardware bring-up, debugging, and root cause analysis during development and field issues.

Embedded Systems and Integration

• Define and support embedded architecture, including processor selection, interfaces, and HW-SW partitioning.

• Work closely with software teams to ensure efficient hardware-software integration.

• Enable reliable communication between sensors, actuators, and processing units.

• Ensure system performance, real-time behavior, and diagnostic capabilities.

Mechanical Interface Understanding

• Collaborate with mechanical engineering teams on device integration.

• Ensure compatibility of hardware designs with:

• Sheet metal components /Plastic enclosures and assemblies

• Consider thermal management, structural constraints, manufacturability, and serviceability.

Cross-Functional Product Development

• Work closely with product management, systems engineering, optics, usability, quality, and manufacturing teams.

• Translate clinical, customer, and business requirements into hardware specifications and designs.

• Ensure alignment with system architecture and product timelines.

• Support system-level integration and validation activities.

OEM Interaction and Customization

• Collaborate with OEM partners for hardware module sourcing, customization, and integration.

• Define technical requirements and specifications for OEM-supplied components.

• Support OEM qualification processes, including design reviews, validation, and compliance checks.

• Ensure OEM deliverables meet ZEISS standards for quality, reliability, and regulatory compliance.

• Drive issue resolution and continuous improvement with OEM partners.

Value Engineering & Cost Optimization

• Apply a strong value engineering mindset to optimize product cost without compromising quality, performance, or compliance.

• Identify cost drivers in hardware design and proactively drive design-to-cost initiatives.

• Evaluate alternative components, materials, and design approaches to achieve optimal cost-performance balance.

• Collaborate with sourcing, manufacturing, and OEM partners to achieve cost targets across the product lifecycle.

Quality, Compliance, and Documentation

• Ensure adherence to medical device development processes and regulatory standards.

• Support risk management activities (e.g., hazard analysis, FMEA).

• Maintain high standards for documentation, traceability, and configuration management.

• Ensure hardware design supports product reliability, diagnostics, and long-term serviceability.

Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in embedded hardware architecture and system design.

• Deep knowledge of: Analog design (signal conditioning, ADC/DAC, power circuits)

• Value engineering in hardware engineering

• Digital design (microcontrollers, processors, FPGA is a plus)

• Experience in electrical design, schematic development, and hardware validation.

• Solid understanding of hardware-software integration and embedded systems.

• Familiarity with communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet, etc.).

• Understanding of mechanical integration, including sheet metal and plastic components.

• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance standards in medical device development.

• Strong troubleshooting, debugging, and problem-solving skills.

• Good knowledge in EMC, safety standards, and reliability engineering.

Stakeholder Engagement & Global Collaboration

• Partner with global R&D, quality, regulatory, service, manufacturing, and product teams.
• Translate product strategies into scalable and supportable software solutions.
•Drive effective collaboration across geographies and disciplines.
• Strengthen software development as a key enabler of innovation and customer value.

Education, Experience, and Job Specifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field.

• Typically 12+ years of experience in hardware engineering, preferably in medical devices or regulated industries.

• Proven experience in developing complex embedded hardware systems across the product lifecycle.

• Experience working in cross-functional and global development environments.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Itishree Pani