Senior Instrumentation Software Engineer
KLA
About the role
To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.
Group/Division
The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. KLA's Central Engineering organization is made up of nine Centers of Excellence (CoEs) spanning disciplines like automation, motion control, sensors, platform design, and packaging. Each CoE contributes not only technical deliverables but also deep expertise, best practices, and advanced tools that elevate both what we build—and how we build it.
What You'll Do
In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.
Job Description/Preferred Qualifications
Join KLA, where we build groundbreaking industrial systems indispensable for semiconductor manufacturing! Our technology integrates sophisticated image acquisition and processing hardware, firmware, software, and high-performance computing (HPC).
Are you a software engineer who thrives with solving high-reaching problems? Join us and make a difference! This role you are instrumental in leading the development sophisticated KLA products. These semi sophisticated products which include robotics, high performance and distributed computing, data analytics and machine control.
Job Responsibilities:
As a Senior Engineer, drive the design, development, testing and roll out of software solutions that improve the capabilities of the KLA inspection machines.
Develop an understanding of how the system works and be able to provide software solutions for critical customer gaps or issues.
Develop and evaluate concepts and designs for the next generation systems by conducting trade-off studies, identifying risk items, and proposing mitigation plans.
Engage with a geographically distributed team and with systems, hardware and service engineers as needed to understand requirements and use-cases and to build software solutions that meet these requirements.
Lead and mentor other engineers through the product development cycle.
Qualification, but not limited to:
Excellent background with deep conceptual and applied knowledge of OOP, design patterns, data structures, distributed systems, multi-threaded and multi-process programming.
Understanding of functional programming including tradeoffs vs. OOP.
Proven ability to navigate sophisticated technical, functional and non-functional requirements to deliver high quality solutions.
Proficiency in writing, deploying, and maintaining production code in C++, Python or Java.
Experience working in large systems composed of different types of subsystems and interfaces between them.
Ability to take abstract problem statements and detail them out into concrete requirements and design through collaborative discussions.
Experience working with large amount of data in ETL pipelines, storage, or visualization type use cases.
Minimum Qualifications
Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years
About KLA
We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.
Total Rewards
Base Pay Range: $105,900.00 - $180,000.00 Annually Primary Location: USA-MI-Ann Arbor-KLA
KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.
Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
Use of AI Statement
At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.
Equal Opportunity Statement
KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.
For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, test, and roll out software solutions for KLA inspection machines.
- Understand system behavior and address critical customer gaps and issues with software solutions.
- Evaluate next-generation system concepts, conduct trade-off studies, and identify and mitigate risks.
- Collaborate with distributed teams and systems, hardware, and service engineers to develop software that meets requirements.
- Lead and mentor engineers through the product development cycle.
Qualifications
- Doctorate with 0 years, master's degree with 3 years, or bachelor's degree with 5 years of related work experience.
- Strong knowledge of object-oriented programming, design patterns, data structures, distributed systems, and multithreaded and multiprocess programming.
- Understanding of functional programming and its tradeoffs compared with object-oriented programming.
- Proficiency writing, deploying, and maintaining production code in C++, Python, or Java.
- Experience with large systems comprising diverse subsystems and interfaces.
- Ability to translate abstract problems into concrete requirements and designs through collaboration.
- Experience with large-scale data use cases such as ETL pipelines, storage, or visualization.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits
- 401(k) with company matching
- Employee stock purchase program
- Student debt assistance and tuition reimbursement
- Development and career growth programs
- Financial planning and wellness benefits, including an employee assistance program
- Paid time off and company holidays
- Family care and bonding leave
Skills mentioned
About KLA
KLA develops industry-leading equipment and services that enable innovation throughout the electronics industry. We provide advanced process control and process-enabling solutions for manufacturing wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging and printed circuit boards. In close collaboration with leading customers across the globe, our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers design solutions that move the world forward. Visit us at: www.kla.com Statements made on LinkedIn may constitute forward-looking statements under federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect the expected results and are based on certain key assumptions. Due to such uncertainties and risks, no assurances can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date indicated. Other risks that KLA faces include those detailed in KLA filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including KLA's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Forward-looking statements made by third parties do not necessarily reflect the opinion of KLA, are outside of KLA’s control and have not been verified or otherwise vetted by KLA.
H-1B sponsorship history
Historical employer filing data was found for KLA. The employer record includes 1,437 historical certified applications. This is employer-level history, not a guarantee that this role currently offers sponsorship.