Associate / Specialist, Software Technology

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA’s metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The LS-SWIFT Division of KLA’s Global Products Group provides patterned wafer inspection systems for high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. Its mission is to deliver market-leading cost of ownership in defect detection for a broad range of applications in the production of semiconductors. Customers from the foundry, logic, memory, automotive, MEMS, advanced packaging and other markets rely upon high-sample wafer inspection information generated by LS-SWIFT products. LS (Laser Scanning) systems enable cost-effective patterned wafer defect detection for the industry’s most sophisticated process technologies deployed in leading-edge foundry, logic, DRAM, and NAND fabs. SWIFT (Simultaneous Wafer Inspection at Fast Throughput) systems deliver all-wafer-surface (frontside, backside, and edge) macro inspection that is critical for automotive IC, MEMS, and advanced packaging processes as well as foundry/logic and memory fabs. LS-SWIFT operates from a global footprint that includes the US, Singapore, India and Germany, and serves a worldwide customer base across Asia, Europe and North America.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Drive technical discussions, architecture decisions, and implementation strategies for customer-facing software features and platform capabilities.
• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance, production-grade software using C#, C++, Python/Java.
• Provide technical leadership for complex software initiatives while influencing engineering direction across teams.
• Evaluate and adopt modern software engineering practices, frameworks, development tools, and AI-assisted productivity solutions where appropriate.
• Contribute to software architecture reviews, design discussions, and technical roadmaps.

Software Development & System Engineering

• Develop deep technical expertise in LS-SWIFT inspection system software and associated workflows.
• Participate in the complete software development lifecycle, including requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, support, and continuous improvement.
• Debug and resolve complex issues across multi-process, multi-threaded, and multi-system software environments spanning Windows and Linux platforms.
• Design scalable, reliable, maintainable, and performant software systems that meet demanding product and customer requirements.
• Acquire and apply domain knowledge related to semiconductor defect inspection and inspection system workflows.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with global engineering teams across multiple geographies.
• Work effectively with systems, hardware, applications, manufacturing, service, and marketing teams throughout product development and deployment.
• Support product releases, customer escalations, field issues, and continuous product improvement efforts.
• Act as a technical integrator across teams to help drive successful product execution and divisional objectives.
• Mentor engineers through technical guidance, design reviews, and engineering best practices.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Leverage AI productivity tools and modern engineering approaches to improve development efficiency and product quality.
• Identify opportunities for technical innovation, automation, and architecture improvements.
• Promote engineering excellence through robust design, code quality, testing, and maintainability practices.

Travel

• Travel to KLA and customer sites globally as required to support product development, deployment, customer engagement, and technology advancement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with C++ and Python development.
• Experience working in Linux environments.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, high-performance computing (HPC), or large-scale software platforms.
• Experience with AI productivity and development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, or similar technologies.
• Experience developing software for semiconductors, industrial automation, instrumentation, manufacturing, or other complex engineering domains.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions and drive execution across organizational boundaries.

Desired Attributes

• Strong ownership mindset and accountability.
• Ability to influence and lead through technical expertise.
• Passion for solving challenging engineering problems.
• Continuous learner with curiosity for emerging technologies and industry trends.
• Collaborative team player capable of working effectively across global organizations.
• Ability to energize teams and drive outcomes in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master’s degree in BE / BTech / MS / MCA / MTech in Computer Science, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, or related disciplines.
• 10+ years of software development experience delivering complex software products.
• Strong expertise in C# and .NET application development.
• Strong software design, architecture, and object-oriented programming skills.
• Strong debugging and root-cause analysis capabilities in complex software environments.
• Solid understanding of Windows internals and .NET runtime concepts.
• Thorough knowledge of software engineering principles, SDLC, and software quality practices.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to work effectively in global cross-functional teams.

We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.

KLA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer

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