Senior Manager, Software Engineering at Onto Innovation in Wilmington-MA (Upton)

Job description

• The Senior Engineering Manager, NPD Software will lead a high-performing software engineering organization responsible for delivering new product development capabilities for semiconductor capital equipment platforms. This role is accountable for software strategy, execution, quality, architecture alignment, and cross-functional delivery across complex inspection, metrology, automation, data acquisition, image processing, system control, and customer-facing workflow software.
• The ideal candidate combines deep software engineering leadership with strong semiconductor equipment domain knowledge, including tool control, factory automation, hardware/software integration, reliability, serviceability, and disciplined productization of advanced technology from concept through release.

Responsibilities

• Lead the NPD software team through the full product development lifecycle, from requirements definition and architecture through implementation, verification, release, field introduction, and sustaining transition.
• Own software execution for new product programs, ensuring predictable delivery against scope, schedule, quality, reliability, and customer commitments.
• Partner with systems engineering, hardware engineering, optics, algorithms, applications, product management, manufacturing, service, and program management to define integrated software solutions for complex semiconductor capital equipment.
• Drive software architecture, design reviews, code quality, technical debt reduction, cybersecurity readiness, scalability, maintainability, and long-term platform reuse.
• Ensure robust hardware/software integration for motion control, sensors, detectors, image acquisition, data pipelines, recipe execution, diagnostics, calibration, and equipment automation workflows.
• Establish engineering discipline around requirements traceability, defect management, configuration management, CI/CD, automated test, release readiness, and change control.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for complex software, system integration, and customer escalation issues during NPD and early field adoption.
• Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing global engineering team, including technical leads, software developers, test engineers, and integration contributors.
• Develop staffing plans, capability roadmaps, succession plans, and skill-development strategies aligned to product roadmap and business priorities.
• Communicate program status, risks, tradeoffs, technical decisions, and recovery plans clearly to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant experience delivering complex, instrument-control, automation, embedded, distributed, or high-performance software systems.
• 5+ years of engineering management experience leading software teams through new product development, release execution, and cross-functional delivery.
• Demonstrated experience managing software for semiconductor capital equipment, industrial automation, scientific instrumentation, robotics, metrology, inspection, or similarly complex cyber-physical systems.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle practices, including architecture, requirements management, design reviews, code reviews, test strategy, defect triage, release governance, and sustaining handoff.
• Experience leading global or distributed teams and coordinating execution across multiple engineering functions, time zones, and product stakeholders.
• Ability to translate business and product objectives into executable technical plans, measurable deliverables, and clear engineering priorities.
• Excellent communication, decision-making, organizational, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Must be able to travel internationally to customer sites at least 20% of the time, with additional travel as business needs require.
• Master’s degree in a relevant engineering or technical field.
• Experience with semiconductor inspection, metrology, wafer handling, recipe management, factory automation, or SECS/GEM, equipment diagnostics.
• Background in C++, C#, .NET, Python, Windows/Linux systems, real-time control, distributed systems, image/data processing pipelines, databases, or equipment user-interface software.
• Experience with Agile, hybrid Agile, or phase-gate NPD execution models in a regulated or high-reliability product environment.
• Familiarity with software quality metrics, reliability growth, cybersecurity practices, static analysis, automated regression testing, and release-readiness dashboards.
• Experience supporting customer escalations, factory acceptance, system qualification, and field introduction of complex equipment platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to modernize legacy software platforms while balancing near-term delivery commitments and long-term architectural health.

Skills

Required

• C++
• C#
• .NET
• Python
• Windows/Linux systems
• real-time control
• distributed systems
• image/data processing pipelines
• databases
• equipment user-interface software
• CI/CD
• automated test

Benefits

• 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.
• $144,000.00 - $216,000.00, 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.