Senior Software Architect, Spectroscopy Platforms

Picarro; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

401K

Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays

On-site Health & Wellness programs

Job summary

Picarro in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead architecture and development of software for next-generation spectrometers and analyzers, spanning embedded Linux, instrument control, data acquisition, and cloud-connected applications.

The role collaborates with systems, electrical, firmware, optical, and manufacturing teams; requires strong C/C++/Python skills, a track record in large-scale software for scientific instrumentation, and mentoring capabilities.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Engineering/CS or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of professional software development experience.
• Experience with Python, C, and modern C++.
• Familiarity with computer architecture fundamentals and hardware interactions.
• Experience developing software on Linux.
• Experience with multi-threaded and distributed systems.
• Experience interfacing software with hardware, embedded systems, or scientific instrumentation.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, object-oriented design, and design patterns.
• Experience with Git and modern development workflows.
• Strong debugging, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead software architecture, design, implementation, and maintenance for instrument control and data acquisition systems.
• Develop high-reliability software running on Linux-based embedded platforms.
• Design and implement software interfaces between instrument hardware, FPGA/firmware subsystems, and higher-level applications.
• Develop APIs, drivers, services, and libraries supporting next-generation spectrometer and analyzer platforms.
• Collaborate with systems, optical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers to define software requirements and system architectures.
• Drive software quality through code reviews, automated testing, continuous integration, and software validation activities.
• Investigate and resolve complex system integration issues involving software, firmware, hardware, and networking.
• Lead architectural decisions that improve scalability, maintainability, and manufacturability across product families.
• Develop tools and automation supporting manufacturing, calibration, testing, and field diagnostics.
• Participate in product planning, risk assessment, design reviews, and technical decision-making.
• Mentor junior engineers and establish software development best practices.
• Contribute to the development of cloud connectivity, remote monitoring, and data management capabilities where applicable.

Skills

Python

C

C++

Linux

Multi-threaded systems

Distributed systems

Git

Debugging

Communication skills

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Computer Engineering/CS

Tools

Buildroot

Linux distributions

PCIe

Ethernet

USB

SPI

I2C

CAN

Docker

CI/CD

Job description

Picarro in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead architecture and development of software for next-generation spectrometers and analyzers, spanning embedded Linux, instrument control, data acquisition, and cloud-connected applications.

The role collaborates with systems, electrical, firmware, optical, and manufacturing teams; requires strong C/C++/Python skills, a track record in large-scale software for scientific instrumentation, and mentoring capabilities.