Software Engineer 3 at Onto Innovation in Wilmington, MA

Summary: Onto Innovation is a leader in process control and advanced semiconductor packaging technologies. They are seeking a Software Engineer to join the Inspection Business Unit, responsible for developing algorithms and software for complex inspection platforms while collaborating with cross-functional teams. Responsibilities: - Build and continuously refine an accurate mental model of the full Onto inspection platform—optics, motion, electronics, image acquisition, and software stack - Translate customer problems and application requirements into well-scoped engineering tasks by reasoning across subsystem boundaries - Agility to zoom from system-level architecture down into any specific areas: databases, algorithm performance, hardware, data flow, GPUs, GUIs, etc - Participate in New Product Development (NPD) alongside hardware engineers, application engineers, Technical Project Managers, and Program/Product Managers - Apply machine learning, image processing, computer vision, mathematics, and optics to develop algorithms integrated into Onto inspection platforms - Develop or contribute to optical imaging modeling/calibration and/or image segmentation, classification, and detection algorithms - Write, test, and debug software to ensure high-quality, reliable operation; optimize for performance and scalability - Perform or lead (based on experience) requirement analysis, detailed software design, production code development, and associated test plans - Participate in design/code reviews collaborating with systems engineers, software developers, and other technical staff - Leverage AI coding agents to accelerate implementation, while maintaining ownership of architecture decisions, design integrity, and code quality - Stay current with academic research and industrial practices in machine vision inspection, image processing, machine learning, and AI-assisted engineering - Document software designs, system-level rationale, development processes, and troubleshooting steps - Support teammates and, at senior levels, provide technical mentorship—especially in systems thinking - Contribute to improving the team's development workflows and tooling, including AI-assisted practices Required Qualifications: - 0–5 years of experience - PhD, MS, or Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related field - Demonstrated ability to reason about systems at multiple levels of abstraction—from high-level architecture down to implementation details - Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills; able to articulate complex system behavior clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders - Competency (or demonstrable coursework) in at least one numerically focused environment such as Python or MATLAB, including linear algebra, image processing, and/or machine learning libraries - Competency (or demonstrable coursework) in at least one compiled or production language used in large-scale software systems, such as C++, C#, or Java Preferred Qualifications: - Experience in semiconductor inspection, machine vision, robotics, or similar highly technical domains where hardware/software co-design is essential - Track record of diagnosing cross-subsystem issues that span optics, electronics, firmware, and application software - Experience effectively using AI coding agents (e.g., Copilot, Cursor, Aider, or similar) to accelerate development - Experience with software development methodologies such as Agile, Scrum, or Kanban - Experience with version control and CI/CD practices - Experience debugging complex multi-threaded software environments - Familiarity with embedded systems, hardware communication protocols, and/or real-time constraints Required Skills: Systems thinking, Machine learning, Image processing, Computer vision, Optics, Python, MATLAB, C++, C#, Java, Analytical skills Benefits: Health, dental, and vision coverage, Life and disability insurance, PTO, 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), Wellness initiatives