Senior Principal Software Engineer – Industrial Automation

Cohu, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 204,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

401(k) with company matching

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Tuition assistance

Disability & life insurance

Profit Sharing

Job summary

Cohu, Inc. is seeking a software engineer to design and develop Windows desktop application and framework software for control machines, automation systems, and electro-mechanical platforms used in semiconductor manufacturing.

This role spans full lifecycle development—from architecture to deployment—emphasizing uptime, safety and reliable operation, and ideal for engineers who enjoy building large systems that interact with industrial equipment.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional software engineering experience in automation or electro-mechanical systems.
• Expert C/C++ skills with OOD and design patterns.
• Experience with Windows desktop apps using Visual Studio; C# for tooling preferred.
• Multithreaded and event-driven software development experience.
• Experience integrating hardware via Windows APIs/SDKs.
• Strong debugging, root-cause analysis, and customer escalation handling.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and integrate machine control software in C++/C#.
• Apply OO design principles and patterns in automation software.
• Interface with hardware via Windows APIs/SDKs for controllers and devices.
• Define architecture and patterns scalable across product variants.
• Lead escalation: troubleshoot using logs and on-equipment debugging.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing and Field Service to improve uptime.
• Develop build verification, simulations, and automated tests.
• Coordinate with EE/ME/Test/Apps for requirements and release readiness.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews and design feedback.

Skills

C++

C#

Multithreading

Windows Desktop

OOD/Design Patterns

Visual Studio

Git

Diagnostics

Communication

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/CE/EE

Tools

Windows SDKs

Qt

UI Frameworks

Job description

Cohu, Inc. is seeking a software engineer to design and develop Windows desktop application and framework software for control machines, automation systems, and electro-mechanical platforms used in semiconductor manufacturing.

This role spans full lifecycle development—from architecture to deployment—emphasizing uptime, safety and reliable operation, and ideal for engineers who enjoy building large systems that interact with industrial equipment.