Senior Biomedical R&D Engineer (90-100%)

machineMD is a Bern-based medical device company pioneering automated neurodiagnostics through our flagship neos™ device and oculometrics software. We're growing our R&D team and adding a Senior Biomedical R&D Engineer – Oculometrics & Neurodiagnostic Paradigms to build and validate the examination tests that run on neos™: designing visual stimuli and protocols, implementing them on the device, testing them on hardware, and refining the eye and pupil measurements they produce. Grounded in solid physiology and biomedical engineering, this role will help bring specialist-level diagnostics into every clinic.

About machineMD

We're on a mission to radically improve the measurement of brain function through standardized, automated, quantitative exams. Our signature product, neos™, is the world's first non-invasive neuro-ophthalmoscope for fast, automated assessment of eye movements and pupils. Founded at the University Hospital of Bern, Switzerland, we aim to bring the diagnostic quality of a highly trained tertiary-care specialist into secondary and primary care settings everywhere.

Tasks

As a Senior Development Engineer in our Research and Development team, you will own the examination paradigms that decide what our device measures and bring engineering rigor to how we measure it. It's a role with real room to shape our paradigms and grow alongside the team:

• Examination paradigms & stimuli - Define, document, and refine the protocols and visual stimuli that drive our exams in alignment with commercial and clinical strategy. Ground every paradigm in physiology (ocular biomechanics, the pupillary and oculomotor systems, neuro-ophthalmology) so each stimulus reliably triggers the response we need, and continuously refine stimuli sets to squeeze exam duration down while pushing clinical relevance up.
• Biomedical engineering & instrumentation - Bridge physiology and hardware: specify and validate how signals are acquired, interface software to medical instrumentation (sensors, head-mounted displays, data-logging components) and real-time data streams, and ensure clean, reliable measurement at the source.
• Test prototyping, verification & validation - Prototype and develop new examination tests, often from a blank page: self-driven, autonomous research as much as engineering. Implement and test new exams and algorithms on neos™ in realistic and clinical settings, then take the most promising concepts through to medical-grade validation in close collaboration with clinicians, and external partners. Participate in software verification and validation, and help raise the bar on traceability, reproducibility, and evidence generation across the team.
• Data analysis - Apply biomedical signal processing and clear reporting to judge whether a paradigm works and where it needs refining, closing the loop between exam design and the evidence behind it.
• Technical leadership - Recommend and prioritize enhancements to examination protocols, verification standards, and processes. Mentor junior engineers, engage directly with clinicians and regulatory consultants to resolve technical questions, and act as a senior technical voice on the team.

What We Look For

• Scientific rigor, pragmatic delivery - You balance scientific rigor with pragmatic engineering in a regulated environment, and you know when "good enough and validated" beats "perfect and theoretical."
• Physiology-first thinking - You reason from how the eye and brain actually behave, not from abstract numbers.
• Hands-on instinct - You're a builder at heart: happiest with the device in front of you and your hands on the hardware and algorithms.
• Speed & iteration - You prototype paradigms quickly, get clinician feedback early, and refine with agility.
• Collaborative spirit - You thrive in a flat, interdisciplinary team where decision rights are distributed and communication channels are short, and you lift the people around you.

Requirements

• PhD or MSc in Biomedical Engineering or a closely related field from ETH, EPFL, University, University of Applied Sciences, or an equivalent institution.
• 4+ years of professional experience (excluding PhD) developing and validating biomedical applications, preferably within a regulated environment (medical devices, clinical research), with a track record of working with physiological datasets such as eye-tracking, pupillometry, ECG, or imaging.
• Hands-on experience with a real-time 3D or game engine (Unity, Unreal, or similar) for building and rendering visual stimuli.
• Strong grasp of the full measurement path, from the physiology being measured (ocular biomechanics, neuro-ophthalmology), through the medical instrumentation that captures it (sensors, head-mounted displays, data-logging devices, real-time data streams), to acquiring and processing the resulting signals.
• Experience with software verification and validation in a medical-device context.
• Willing and able to work on-site in Bern at least 80% of the time. The work is hands-on with hardware, relies on close in-person teamwork, and depends on quick access to the medical institutions and neuro-ophthalmology practices to be able to evaluate paradigms, also against classical measurement systems.
• Fluent English; German and/or French a plus.

Benefits

Located in Bern, Switzerland, we thrive on collaborative, in-person energy, while offering the flexibility you need to do your best work.

We are united by the Four Pillars of Integrity: Radical Responsibility, Feeling Our Feelings, Candor, and Clear Agreements. These are not just words on a wall; they guide how we:

• Own our choices (Radical Responsibility)
• Name and honour our emotions (Feeling Our Feelings)
• Speak and listen with honesty (Candor)
• Make and keep clear commitments (Clear Agreements)

Living these principles keeps us "whole," fully alive, and brimming with the energy needed to build world-class diagnostic tools. We also value an interest in cultivating mindfulness and the willingness to reflect critically on how we communicate and perform.

Life's too short to work on boring stuff. If you want to bring better diagnostics to the frontlines of brain health and laugh along the way, let's talk!

How to Apply

Send your CV and a link to your favourite project or research paper, with a brief explanation of why you like it, to hr(at)machinemd(.)com

We welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of gender, age, background, or orientation. Applicants must have at least a Swiss B work permit. No recruiters please.

We're excited to meet you!