Senior Systems Software Engineer — Industrial Fab Automation

ZEISS • Minneapolis, CA

20h • $110,000 - $186,000

About The Position

The Senior Systems Software Engineer – Industrial Fab Automation is a senior individual contributor within the ZEISS IQS cross-divisional program, delivering advanced CT-based inspection solutions for semiconductor advanced packaging. This role focuses on integrating ZEISS Inspect with fab-level automation frameworks and equipment , building robust back-end services (primarily gRPC) that interface with fab automation platforms (e.g., Cimetrix, Kontron, PEER Group ) and, where applicable, computer vision frameworks. The position ensures inspection workflows are seamlessly orchestrated within semiconductor fabs, meeting strict requirements for throughput, reliability, security, and fab standards . You will collaborate closely with global teams (IQS, SMT) and customer fabs to design, implement, test, and deploy production-grade fab automation interfaces , including wafer navigation, MES integration, and tool controller interactions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a focus on back-end services or systems software
• Strong coding proficiency in C++ and C#, with working proficiency in Python
• Proven experience designing and building server architectures and networked services (e.g., gRPC or comparable RPC frameworks)
• Hands-on experience with DevOps and automated testing pipelines (e.g., Git-based CI/CD, automated builds and tests, artifact management, and deployment pipelines)
• Solid foundation in software engineering best practices, including version control, code reviews, debugging/profiling, and testable code design

Nice To Haves

• Experience with fab automation frameworks (e.g., Cimetrix, Kontron, PEER Group)
• Experience with computer vision frameworks (e.g., Cognex) in industrial or semiconductor environments
• Background in industrial automation , including robots, motion systems, PLCs, machine controllers, or factory MES
• Experience developing Windows and Linux services , including containerized and orchestrated environments
• Familiarity with observability practices , performance tuning for high-throughput systems, and secure communication patterns (e.g., Protocol Buffers, RBAC)
• Experience in metrology or semiconductor manufacturing , particularly advanced packaging and wafer-level workflows

Responsibilities

• Design and implement back-end services and interfaces (primarily gRPC) integrating ZEISS Inspect with fab automation frameworks and fab-level controllers
• Develop software supporting wafer navigation and orchestrating end-to-end inspection workflows within semiconductor fabs
• Own service-level concerns including performance, reliability, observability, fault tolerance, and secure deployment
• Build and maintain automated test pipelines, including fab simulators, hardware-/system-in-the-loop testing, and CI/CD workflows
• Collaborate with internal automation, controls, metrology, and computer vision teams, as well as external fab stakeholders, to gather requirements and deliver production-ready integrations
• Integrate with or leverage computer vision frameworks (e.g., Cognex) to support fab workflows where required
• Implement and maintain logging, metrics, and distributed tracing for fab-deployed services to support operations and troubleshooting
• Participate in architecture/design reviews, code reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Author and maintain technical design documentation, configuration guides, and operational runbooks
• Support root-cause analysis and resolution of issues during fab qualification, pilot runs, and production deployments

Benefits

• ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior