Systems Architect, Instrumentation R&D Lead

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The Lead Systems Architect is responsible for defining and governing the technical architecture strategy across the Instrumentation R&D portfolio. This leader enables scalable, modular, and reusable products and technologies that accelerate innovation, improve development efficiency, and increase leverage across platforms.

This role is on-site in our Lake Forest, CA location and a typical day would include:

• Establish and maintain the Instrumentation R&D architecture strategy, principles, and roadmap.

• Define future-state product and technology architectures across the portfolio.

• Connect business strategy, product roadmaps, technology investments, and architecture priorities.

• Lead architecture reviews and governance for major development programs.

• Serve as the escalation and decision authority for cross-platform architecture matters.

• Establish systems engineering methods, practices, and standards across the organization.

• Drive adoption of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and systems-thinking approaches.

• Develop frameworks for requirements management, functional decomposition, interface management, integration, verification, and validation.

• Improve the consistency and effectiveness of systems engineering across sites and product teams.

• Mentor engineering leaders and practitioners in architecture and systems engineering.

• Identify and prioritize architecture reuse opportunities across products, programs, and technology platforms.

• Define modular architectures that support scalability, flexibility, serviceability, and future product evolution.

• Establish reusable system building blocks, common interfaces, and reference architectures.

• Balance product-specific requirements with enterprise reuse and lifecycle considerations.

• Track reuse adoption and the value delivered through shared architecture assets.

• Partner with product-platform leaders to ensure architecture supports portfolio and program objectives.
• Facilitate technical trade-off decisions involving performance, risk, cost, schedule, and reuse.

• Resolve architectural conflicts across programs and engineering disciplines.

• Lead architecture forums and technical decision reviews.

• Establish architecture standards, decision criteria, and review processes.

• Maintain documentation of architecture decisions, interfaces, and technical rationale.

• Monitor adoption of architectural standards and address justified exceptions.

• Partner with Communities of Practice to translate enterprise architecture into discipline-level methods and standards.

• Assess systems engineering and architecture capability needs across the organization.
• Develop technical talent through coaching, mentoring, and targeted learning.
• Support recruitment and development of systems engineering expertise.
• Build a culture of technical rigor, reuse, and enterprise learning.

• Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent years of directly related experience (or high school +18 yrs; Assoc.+14 yrs; M.S.+7 yrs; PhD+6 yrs)
• The ability to fluently read, write, understand and communicate in English.
• 10 Years of Relevant Experience

• 15+ years of engineering experience in complex product development environments, including substantial leadership in systems engineering, architecture, platform development, or advanced technology development. 
• Experience in medical devices or another regulated product development environment strongly preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead architecture across hardware, software, electronics, firmware, optics, mechanical systems, and system integration boundaries. 
• Experience with systems engineering, MBSE, SysML, requirements management, architecture modeling, interface management, design verification, risk management, and configuration management. 
• undefined

• See your career like never before with focused growth and development opportunities
• Join Alcon’s mission to provide outstanding, innovative products and solutions to improve sight, improve lives, and grow your career!
• Alcon provides a robust benefits package including health, life, retirement, flexible time off and much more.
• Travel  - up to 20% 
• Sponsorship - No
• Relocation - No

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Alcon is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify. Alcon takes pride in maintaining a diverse environment and our policies are not to discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Alcon is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an email to alcon.recruitment@alcon.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.