The posting
To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.
Group/Division
The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The Film and Scatterometry Technology (FaST) division delivers industry-leading metrology solutions essential to advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Its portfolio includes systems for measuring film thickness, critical dimensions, composition, and resistivity—key to developing and scaling next-gen IC processes. FaST partners closely with customers from early R&D through high-volume production, ensuring performance and process alignment.
What You'll Do
In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Software Engineering Manager to lead the AcuShape Software Engineering team responsible for developing advanced scientific computing solutions used in semiconductor metrology applications. This role combines technical leadership, people management, and program execution to deliver high-quality software that enables next-generation modeling, simulation, and metrology workflows.
The ideal candidate has a strong background in C#, C++, .NET, and Windows application development, along with experience managing software engineers working on computationally intensive scientific applications. You will partner closely with Product Management, Algorithms, Applications Engineering, System Engineering, and Customer Support teams to drive product innovation, quality, and execution.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership & People Management
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of software engineers responsible for AcuShape application and platform development.
- Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
- Recruit, onboard, and retain top engineering talent.
- Conduct performance reviews, career development planning, and regular coaching conversations.
- Manage team priorities, workload balancing, and resource allocation across multiple projects.
Technical Leadership
- Guide software architecture, design, implementation, and maintenance of AcuShape applications using C# and C++ on .NET/Windows platforms.
- Establish engineering best practices for code quality, testing, security, maintainability, and scalability.
- Drive modernization initiatives, including adoption of AI-assisted development tools and automation technologies.
- Partner with senior engineers and architects to define technical roadmaps and long-term platform strategies.
- Support investigation and resolution of complex customer escalations and performance issues.
Product & Program Execution
- Collaborate with Product Management and cross-functional stakeholders to define technical requirements and product roadmaps.
- Translate business and customer requirements into executable engineering plans.
- Drive predictable execution of software releases, feature development, and sustaining activities.
- Monitor project risks, dependencies, schedules, and resource needs to ensure successful delivery.
- Support release planning, PLC milestones, and strategic business objectives.
Scientific Computing & Performance Optimization
- Partner with algorithm and applications teams to implement and optimize computationally intensive scientific workflows.
- Drive improvements in application performance, numerical accuracy, scalability, and reliability.
- Evaluate opportunities to leverage HPC, parallel computing, GPU acceleration, and cloud-based computing technologies.
- Ensure software architecture supports future growth in computational complexity and data volumes.
Customer & Cross-Functional Engagement
- Work closely with field teams, applications engineers, and customers to understand real-world challenges and requirements.
- Support critical customer escalations and drive root-cause analysis efforts.
- Collaborate with global engineering teams across multiple geographic locations.
- Communicate project status, technical direction, and key decisions to stakeholders and leadership.
Minimum Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 8+ years of software development experience, including significant experience in C#, C++, and .NET development.
- 2+ years of engineering leadership or people management experience.
- Strong understanding of software architecture, object-oriented design, design patterns, and modern development practices.
- Experience delivering complex Windows-based software systems.
- Experience working with scientific, engineering, or computationally intensive applications.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and successfully deliver software products.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in semiconductor metrology, process control, lithography, optical modeling, or related domains.
- Experience with scientific modeling, simulation, optimization, or numerical computing applications.
- Familiarity with High Performance Computing (HPC), GPU computing, parallel processing, or distributed systems.
- Experience leading globally distributed engineering teams.
- Experience with WPF, WinUI, or other modern desktop UI frameworks.
- Experience with Agile development methodologies and release management processes.
- Familiarity with machine learning, AI-assisted development workflows, and modern software engineering productivity tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or similar solutions.
About KLA
We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.
Total Rewards
Base Pay Range: $167,400.00 - $245,533.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA
KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.
Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
Use of AI Statement
At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.
Equal Opportunity Statement
KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at [email protected] or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.
For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.
