Director, Software Engineering

Advantest America; Lake Forest (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Advantest America is seeking a Director of Software Engineering to guide Hardware System Integration, Handler, Test Engineering, and Portfolio Engineering for semiconductor test platforms. You will oversee global teams, drive strategic plans, and ensure delivery of complex software across testers, firmware, and automation systems.

The role combines hands-on coding with architectural leadership, focusing on scalable APIs, data models, and production readiness while coordinating with hardware, QA,

Responsibilities

• Translate engineering strategy into engineering plans, milestones, resource plans, and delivery schedules.
• Lead software managers, technical leads, developers, and test engineers across multiple engineering domains.
• Drive execution across products and customer programs to meet milestones.
• Align software development, integration, validation, and release schedules with SW Product Management and Hardware TPMs.
• Lead software integration across testers, handlers, thermal systems, device interfaces, PLCs, firmware, and equipment-control systems.
• Develop communication interfaces for material handling, factory automation, and factory management systems.
• Lead GEM/SECS, EAC/EAP, lot processing, alarms, availability reporting, equipment telemetry, and production data capabilities.
• Oversee automated validation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, regression, endurance testing, system qualification, and production readiness.
• Improve throughput, reliability, availability, recovery, and downtime via system performance analysis.
• Drive reuse and standardization of APIs, SDKs, messaging, data models, logging, diagnostics, and common software components.
• Ensure customer requirements are implemented as scalable, configurable product capabilities.
• Track milestones, dependencies, risks, quality, integration readiness, and release criteria across the portfolio.
• Improve software development, testing, validation, and release processes.
• Coordinate with Product Management, Program Management, Business Development, Hardware, Firmware, QA, Production, Applications, and Product Support.
• Lead adoption of AI-assisted software development, testing, diagnostics, and documentation.
• Conduct architecture, design, integration, and release-readiness reviews.
• Present technical and program-readiness reviews to customers and internal leadership.
• Support customer technical discussions, system bring-up, escalations, and production deployments.
• Conduct performance reviews, set goals, mentor leaders, and support succession planning.

Job description

Director, Software Engineering

Position Overview

We are seeking a Director of Software Engineering to lead Hardware System Integration, Handler, Test Engineering, and Portfolio Engineering for semiconductor test platforms supporting SLT, Burn-In, HPC, and ATE.

The role leads global teams responsible for equipment-control software, material handling integration, test engineering, factory interfaces, production data, and shared software capabilities.

This position is expected to be highly technical and hands-on with software and hardware, with approximately 50% of time spent directly coding, debugging, and solving complex technical issues across the semiconductor test ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate engineering strategy into engineering plans, technical milestones, resource plans, and delivery schedules.
• Lead software managers, technical leads, developers, and test engineers across Thermal, System Integration, Handler, Test, and Portfolio Engineering.
• Drive execution across multiple products and customer programs and ensure teams deliver committed milestones.
• Align software development, integration, validation, and release schedules with SW Product Management and Hardware TPMs.
• Lead software integration across testers, handlers, thermal systems, device interfaces, PLCs, firmware, and equipment-control systems.
• Lead development of communication interfaces for material handling, factory automation, and factory management systems.
• Lead GEM/SECS, EAC/EAP, lot processing, alarms, availability reporting, equipment telemetry, and production data capabilities.
• Lead automated validation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, regression, endurance testing, system qualification, and production readiness.
• Improve throughput, reliability, availability, recovery, and downtime through system performance analysis.
• Drive reuse and standardization of APIs, SDKs, messaging, data models, logging, diagnostics, and common software components.
• Ensure customer requirements are implemented as scalable, configurable product capabilities.
• Track milestones, dependencies, risks, quality, integration readiness, and release criteria across the portfolio.
• Improve software development, testing, validation, and release processes.
• Coordinate execution with Product Management, Program Management, Business Development, Hardware, Firmware, QA, Production, Applications, and Product Support.
• Lead adoption of AI-assisted software development, testing, diagnostics, and documentation.
• Conduct architecture, design, integration, and release-readiness reviews.
• Present technical and program-readiness reviews to customers and internal leadership.
• Support customer technical discussions, system bring-up, escalations, and production deployments.
• Conduct performance reviews, set goals, mentor leaders, and support succession planning.
• All other duties as assigned.