Software Engineer 3

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

Inspection Business Unit (IBU)

Experience Level: 0–5 Years

Job Summary

We are seeking a Software Engineer to join the Inspection Business Unit (IBU), developing advanced inspection platforms used in semiconductor manufacturing. This role is well suited for engineers early in their career who are excited to work on complex, real‑world systems that tightly integrate optics, mechanics, electronics, and software.

More than any specific language or framework, we value how you think. Success in this role requires the ability to develop and maintain a clear system‑level mental model of a sophisticated inspection platform—and to move fluidly between high‑level architecture and detailed technical investigation when problems arise.

As AI coding tools increasingly assist with code generation and refactoring, this role emphasizes systems reasoning, problem decomposition, and technical judgment: understanding customer problems, identifying where they live in the system, and mapping them to effective engineering solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities will be scoped to experience level. Early‑career engineers will focus on foundational development and system understanding, with opportunities to grow into broader technical ownership over time.

Systems Thinking & Problem Decomposition

• Build and continuously refine an understanding of the full inspection platform, including optics, motion systems, electronics, image acquisition, and the software stack.
• Translate customer issues and application requirements into well‑defined engineering tasks by reasoning across subsystem boundaries.
• Move effectively between system‑level architecture and detailed technical areas such as algorithms, data flow, performance, hardware interfaces, GPUs, databases, and Ux's.
• Participate in New Product Development (NPD) alongside hardware, applications, and systems engineers, as well as technical project and product management partners.

Software Engineering

• Develop and integrate software based off of product and customer requirements using industry best practices, image processing, computer vision and mathematics.
• Write, test, debug, and maintain production software with a focus on reliability, performance, and scalability.
• Participate in requirements analysis, software design, implementation, and test planning.
• Engage in design and code reviews with software and systems engineering peers.
• Use AI coding agents to accelerate implementation while maintaining ownership of design decisions, architecture, and code quality.

Continuous Learning & Collaboration

• Stay current with academic and industry developments in machine vision inspection, image processing, and AI‑assisted software development.
• Document software designs, system‑level reasoning, and troubleshooting approaches.
• Collaborate closely with teammates across disciplines; at more experienced levels,
• Contribute to improvements in development workflows, tooling, and engineering practices, including responsible use of AI‑assisted tools.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 0–5 years of relevant experience (including internships, co‑ops, or research).
• Demonstrated ability to reason about systems at multiple levels of abstraction—from high‑level architecture to implementation details.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills.
• Experience or coursework in at least one compiled or production language such as C/C++, C#, or Java.
• Familiarity with AI coding tools (e.g., Copilot, etc.).
• Familiarity with Agile development practices and modern version control workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to semiconductor inspection, machine vision, robotics, or hardware‑software co‑designed systems.
• Experience diagnosing issues that span multiple subsystems (e.g., optics, electronics, firmware, and application software).
• Familiarity with embedded systems, hardware communication protocols, and/or real‑time constraints.
• Experience or coursework in a numerically focused environment such as Python or MATLAB, including linear algebra, image processing, and/or machine learning libraries.
• Exposure to multi‑threaded software, performance debugging, or data‑intensive systems.

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