Principal Software Engineer

Alphatec Spine; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Alphatec Spine is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to define the technical direction of the software platform and solve the organization’s most complex engineering challenges. This senior individual contributor will lead architecture, guide multiple product areas, and mentor engineers to shape the long-term evolution of the software organization.

The role demands deep expertise in software architecture, system design, and modern engineering practices with strong cross-functional

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with leadership.
• Experience delivering large-scale, mission-critical software.
• Ability to mentor engineers and influence direction.
• Expert knowledge of software architecture and system design.
• Strong understanding of SDLC, verification, and CI/CD.
• Excellent collaboration across engineering, clinical, quality, regulatory, and product teams.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term software architecture and technical roadmap.
• Lead design, implementation, and delivery of complex systems.
• Serve as technical authority on platform technologies.
• Mentor engineers through reviews and guidance.
• Drive platform investments and reusable tools.
• Translate clinical workflows into scalable solutions.
• Participate in system integration and clinical evaluations.

Skills

Technical leadership

Software architecture

CI/CD

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

System design

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/CE/SE

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

The Principal Software Engineer is a senior individual contributor responsible for defining the technical direction of the software platform and solving the organization's most complex engineering challenges. This role provides technical leadership across multiple product areas, influences architecture and engineering practices, and partners with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable, reliable, and clinically meaningful software solutions. The Principal Software Engineer serves as a trusted technical advisor, mentors engineers, and helps shape the long-term evolution of the software organization.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Define and drive the long-term software architecture and technical roadmap across multiple product releases.
• Lead the design, implementation, and delivery of complex software systems and critical technical initiatives.
• Serve as the technical authority for key platform technologies and provide guidance on architecture, algorithms, performance, scalability, and system integration.
• Solve the organization’s most challenging technical problems through hands‑on engineering, system design, and root cause analysis.
• Establish and promote software engineering best practices, including software architecture, design patterns, code quality, testing, automation, and CI/CD.
• Mentor and coach software engineers through technical guidance, design reviews, code reviews, and knowledge sharing.
• Drive technical alignment across Software, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Test Engineering, Clinical, Quality, Regulatory, and Product Management.
• Translate clinical workflows, customer feedback, and business needs into scalable technical solutions.
• Lead technical planning and influence engineering decisions that improve product quality, development efficiency, and long‑term maintainability.
• Identify and drive platform investments, reusable frameworks, and engineering tools that improve productivity across teams.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend innovations that support future product capabilities.
• Support product development through participation in system integration, surgeon labs, field observations, and clinical evaluations.

Expected Impact

• Defines the technical direction for major software platforms and future product generations.
• Influences engineering decisions across multiple teams and organizations.
• Raises the technical capability of the engineering organization through mentorship and technical leadership.
• Delivers scalable, maintainable, and high‑quality software that improves patient outcomes and customer experience.
• Anticipates future technical challenges and proactively develops solutions before they become business constraints.
• Represents software engineering in cross‑functional planning, technical reviews, and executive discussions.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical field required.
• Master's degree or advanced technical degree is a plus.
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with demonstrated technical leadership on complex software systems.
• Proven experience designing, developing, and delivering large‑scale, mission‑critical, or regulated software products.
• Experience leading software architecture, system integration, and cross‑functional technical initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and influence technical direction without direct management responsibility.
• Expert knowledge of software architecture, system design, and modern software engineering best practices.
• Deep understanding of software development lifecycle, verification, validation, release processes, and CI/CD practices.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to resolve complex technical challenges.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills with engineering, clinical, quality, regulatory, and product teams.
• Ability to balance short‑term product execution with long‑term platform strategy and technical vision.
• Commitment to engineering excellence, continuous improvement, and delivering high‑quality software solutions.

Equal Employment Opportunity & Other Disclosures

ATEC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to its employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state or local laws. Further, ATEC will make reasonable accommodations that are necessary to comply with disability discrimination laws.

For roles based in the United States that require access to hospital facilities, must be eligible for and maintain credentials at all required hospitals, including meeting any applicable physical requirements or vaccination requirements (including the COVID‑19 vaccine, as applicable).

At this time, ATEC Spine does not sponsor employment visas for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future employer sponsorship.

Salary Range

Alphatec Spine, Inc. complies with state and federal wage and hour laws and compensation depends upon candidate’s qualifications, education, skill set, years of experience, and internal equity. $210,000 - $240,000 Full-Time Annual Salary