Expert Software Engineer — Rapid System Prototyping & Integration

Keysight Technologies, Inc.•Santa Rosa, CA

About The Position

Join Keysight’s Software and AI Labs to design and implement distributed digital data infrastructures for cutting-edge Test & Measurement solutions. Your work will enable disruptive capabilities across high-growth industries, including communications, quantum, semiconductor, and defense. As an Expert Software Engineer, you will technically lead rapid system prototyping and integration efforts, working with cross-functional experts within Keysight to bring cutting-edge Test & Measurement solutions to life across high-growth industries. This exciting role spans multiple technology layers — Firmware, Software, GPUs, and FPGA/Hardware — with a strong emphasis on quickly assembling, integrating, and validating complex heterogeneous systems built around high-speed data streaming and real-time processing. This is a high visibility role pushing the envelope of what can be achieved with current technology, enabling strategic projects impacting Keysight's continued growth.

Requirements

BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering.
8+ years of experience in system integration and software/firmware development for high-speed data streaming and real-time processing systems.
Proficiency in Modern C++ and embedded programming in Linux, including kernel drivers, memory-mapped I/O, and performance profiling tools.
Hands-on expertise with high-speed Ethernet (100G or higher), including network stack optimization, kernel bypass techniques (DPDK, RDMA/RoCE), and SmartNIC/DPU integration for line-rate data acquisition and streaming.
Strong expertise in integrating CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs via PCIe interconnects, including DMA engine configuration, PCIe performance tuning, and understanding of FPGA-based data path subsystems.
Strong problem-solving and debugging skills across hardware-software boundaries, including signal tracing, interface debugging, throughput analysis, and system-level root cause analysis.
Proven ability to rapidly prototype and validate complex multi-component systems under tight timelines.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to coordinate across hardware, firmware, and software teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience with high-performance real-time systems, precise clocking and synchronization (PTP/IEEE 1588), and low-latency DSP pipelines.
Familiarity with FPGA development flows (SystemVerilog/VHDL) sufficient to interface with and validate FPGA-based IP blocks and high-speed transceivers.
Familiarity with GPU-accelerated data processing pipelines, including data movement (GPUDirect, CUDA streams) and memory management for high-throughput workloads.
Knowledge of network protocols relevant to high-speed data acquisition (e.g., UDP, custom streaming protocols, time-stamped packet flows).
Knowledge of Agile Scrum, CI/CD, and version control practices suited to rapid prototyping cycles.
Exposure to modular systems (PXIe) and test & measurement applications.
Understanding of digital circuit schematics and hardware bring-up processes.

Responsibilities

Lead rapid prototyping of large-scale real-time heterogeneous processing systems, driving fast iteration from concept to working demonstration.
Integrate and validate multi-component platforms combining CPUs, GPUs, SmartNICs, SoCs, and FPGAs, connected via high-speed Ethernet (100G/200G/400G) and PCIe fabrics for high-throughput, low-latency data streaming and processing.
Design and validate high-speed data paths end-to-end — from network ingestion and DMA transfers to GPU/CPU processing pipelines — ensuring line-rate performance and deterministic behavior.
Serve as the integration point across hardware, firmware, and software layers — ensuring components from multiple teams and vendors work together seamlessly at full data rates.
Identify and resolve system-level integration challenges across high-speed interfaces (Ethernet MACs, PCIe, RDMA/RoCE, DPDK), firmware, and application software.