Staff Software Engineer

Onto Innovation; Wilmington (MA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with match

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Paid time off

Job summary

Onto Innovation seeks a Staff Software Engineer to architect and build software for EFEM platforms, enabling wafer handling, robotics coordination, and safety interlocks. You will implement scalable components, integrate hardware subsystems, and guide architecture adopted across Onto products.

The role emphasizes clean architectural patterns, API design, concurrency, and cross-team collaboration, with international travel ~20% and mentoring responsibilities within a team of seasoned engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years for Staff level in software development for mission-critical systems.
• Experience driving technical roadmaps and cross-team dependencies.
• Strong knowledge of hardware/software integration.
• Expertise in .NET including runtime behavior, performance, threading, and memory management.
• Strong C# proficiency using modern features.
• Experience structuring systems using clean architectural patterns, DI, modularity, and API versioning.
• Mastery of concurrency design: multithreading, synchronization, message passing, actor models.
• Must be able to travel internationally to customer sites at least 20% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Lead software engineer on new projects, determine requirements and robust designs, collaborating with hardware engineers.
• Develop software modules for wafer-handling robotics, load ports, sensors, pre-aligners, and system orchestration.
• Design extensible APIs, control interfaces, and internal communication frameworks.
• Optimize software performance and ensure scalability.
• Provide mentoring and guidance to more junior team members.
• Develop automated tests, simulation tools, and validation frameworks for EFEM software.
• Perform system-level troubleshooting, data analysis, and optimization of EFEM software performance.
• Identify and drive process, architecture, and code quality improvements across the EFEM software stack and across multiple teams/modules.

Skills

Software architecture

Real-time software

C#

.NET

API design

Multithreading

Debugging

Hardware/software integration

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Job description

Onto Innovation is a leader in process control, combining global scale with an expanded portfolio of leading-edge technologies that include: 3D metrology spanning the chip from nanometer-scale transistors to micron-level die-interconnects; macro defect inspection of wafers and packages; metal interconnect composition; factory analytics; and lithography for advanced semiconductor packaging. Our breadth of offerings across the entire semiconductor value chain helps our customers solve their most difficult yield, device performance, quality, and reliability issues. Onto Innovation strives to optimize customers’ critical path of progress by making them smarter, faster and more efficient.

Job Summary & Responsibilities

The Staff Software Engineer will play a key role in architecting and developing software that enables reliable wafer handling, robotics coordination, safety interlocks, motion control, system orchestration, and factory automation interfaces for a standardized EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) platform. This role involves designing and implementing reusable software components, integrating hardware subsystems, and contributing to a scalable architecture adopted across Onto products.

The ideal candidate has strong experience in structured real-time software design, complex electromechanical systems, HW/SW integration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as lead software engineer on new projects, determining requirements and a robust design, and collaborating with hardware engineers to ensure seamless hardware-software integration

• Develop software modules for wafer-handling robotics, load ports, sensors, pre-aligners, and system-level orchestration

• Design of extensible APIs, control interfaces, and internal communication frameworks

• Optimize software performance and ensure scalability

• Provide mentoring and guidance to more junior team members

• Develop automated tests, simulation tools, and validation frameworks for EFEM software

• Perform system-level troubleshooting, data analysis, and optimization of EFEM software performance

• Identify and drive process, architecture, and code quality improvements across the EFEM software stack and across multiple teams/modules

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

• Proven experience (10+ years for Staff level) in software development for highly technical applications, including leading architecture/design of large-scale, mission-critical software systems

• Experience driving technical roadmaps, resolving cross-team dependencies, and making tradeoffs across performance, maintainability, and schedule.

• Strong knowledge of hardware-software integration and experience working with complex systems.

• Deep expertise in .NET including runtime behavior, performance, threading, and memory management.

• Strong C# proficiency using modern features

• Experience structuring systems using clean architectural patterns, dependency injection, modularity, and API versioning.

• Mastery of concurrency design: multithreading, synchronization, message passing, actor models, and preventing deadlocks/race conditions.

• Experience designing/maintaining APIs and integration points:

• Demonstrated experience debugging complex multi-threaded environments

• Must be able to travel internationally to customer sites at least 20% of the time, with additional travel as business needs require.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the semiconductor industry, robotics, or similar sector

• Experience with SEMI standards such as E84, E87, E90, E30, E37

Why Join Onto Innovation?

At Onto Innovation, we believe your work should matter—and so should your well-being. That’s why we offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you and your family. From health, dental, and vision coverage to life and disability insurance, PTO, and a 401(k) with employer match, we’ve got you covered. You’ll also enjoy access to our Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), wellness initiatives, and cutting-edge tools—all within a collaborative, inclusive culture where your contributions are valued and recognized.

Compensation & Growth

Base Salary Range:

$129,600.00 - $194,400.00, offered in good faith and based on experience, location, and qualifications.

• Additional Rewards: Annual bonus opportunities and potential long-term incentives tied to both company and individual success.

Empowering Every Voice to Shape the Future:

Onto Innovation is committed to creating a workplace where every qualified candidate has an equal opportunity to succeed. We evaluate applicants based on skills, experience, and potential - without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe diversity of thought and background drives innovation and strengthens our team.

Important Note on Export Compliance

For certain positions requiring access to technical data, U.S. export licensing review may be necessary for applicants who are not U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, or other protected persons under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).