Onto Innovation is a leader in process control, combining global scale with an expanded portfolio of leading-edge technologies that include: 3D metrology spanning the chip from nanometer-scale transistors to micron-level die-interconnects; macro defect inspection of wafers and packages; metal interconnect composition; factory analytics; and lithography for advanced semiconductor packaging. Our breadth of offerings across the entire semiconductor value chain helps our customers solve their most difficult yield, device performance, quality, and reliability issues. Onto Innovation strives to optimize customers’ critical path of progress by making them smarter, faster and more efficient.
Job Summary & Responsibilities
Position Summary
The Software Engineering Manager leads software development at Onto Tucson, owning the team and the codebase for 4D branded products. 4D's product portfolio is primarily optical metrology — specifically laser interferometry — and industrial metrology — primarily fringe projection — along with the software tools used in production of these devices.
This is a player-coach role: the Software Engineering Manager runs the team, sets technical direction, and stays close enough to the code to make architecture and code-review calls — while owning hiring, performance management, and cross-functional partnerships with Engineering, Product Management, Manufacturing, Service, and Quality.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership
Lead, hire, and develop a team of software engineers and QA engineers across desktop application development, firmware / embedded engineering, and internal tooling, partnering closely with the Software Architect on technical direction.
Conduct performance reviews, succession planning, hiring, and career development; build progression paths from junior to mid / senior level.
Establish team rituals: standups, code-review cadence, sprint planning, retrospectives.
Restore disciplined Scrum practice across the team: sprint planning, daily standups, sprint review, retrospectives, and a well-groomed product backlog.
Build a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and continuous improvement.
Technical Leadership
Set technical direction for the software portfolio: customer-facing analysis tools, instrument firmware, and internal manufacturing / test software.
Own software development practices: code review, testing standards, branching and release strategy, CI / CD, version-control discipline.
Make and document architecture decisions; participate hands-on in design reviews and complex code reviews.
Maintain a roadmap for technical debt, platform health, and security / compliance updates.
Customer-Facing Software (Analysis & Visualization)
Drive development of customer-facing software.
Partner with Product Management on roadmap, feature prioritization, and customer release commitments.
Coordinate with the Senior Service Manager on field issues that originate in software, including hot-fix release planning.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with Engineering on product development, New Product Introduction (NPI), and Engineering Changes (ECs / ECOs) that have software impact.
Partner with the Senior Service Manager on field-software issues, FSE diagnostic tools, and customer escalations with a software root cause.
Partner with Quality on QMS-related software documentation, validation, software-related CAPAs, and audit support.
Software Quality & Release Management
Own the software quality program: defect tracking, regression testing, release validation, and customer-facing release notes.
Plan, track, and deliver software releases on commitment using Jira; track program status against committed milestones.
Track and report software KPIs to senior leadership; provide weekly program status.
Ensure software development practices align with applicable QMS requirements
AI Adoption & Engineering Productivity
Drive adoption of AI-assisted development tools — GitHub Copilot, Claude Opus, and other LLM-based pair-programming and code-review tools — as a primary lever for engineering productivity and code quality.
Establish prompt-engineering and AI pair-programming best practices; build internal playbooks for when and how AI tools are most effective on 4D’s codebase.
Integrate AI-assisted code review into the development workflow alongside human-judgment review; balance speed with engineering rigor.
Measure and report on AI-tool adoption metrics: usage rate across the team, impact on cycle time, defect rate, and developer satisfaction.
Continuous Improvement
Drive engineering productivity improvements: developer tooling, test automation, deployment automation.
Build engineering capability through training, mentorship, conference participation, and technical learning.
Key Performance Indicators
Sprint commitment vs. actual delivery (sprint predictability).
Team velocity stability across rolling sprints.
Sprint goal achievement rate.
Cycle time per user story (queue to done).
Defect escape rate from sprint to production.
Pull-request review turnaround time.
On-time release of customer-facing software.
AI-tool adoption metrics: usage rate, cycle-time impact, defect-rate impact.
Team retention, engagement, and progression rate.
Qualifications
Education
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Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related technical field, OR equivalent technical experience and demonstrated track record of software engineering leadership.
Experience
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8–12 years of software engineering experience with 3+ years managing engineers.
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Demonstrated experience leading multi-domain software teams (desktop applications, embedded / firmware, internal tooling) — or at least one of these domains plus willingness to grow into the others.
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Experience in scientific instrumentation, optical metrology, semiconductor capital equipment, medical devices, or comparable precision-instrument software.
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Hands-on experience with the software development lifecycle in a regulated or QMS environment.
Skills & Competencies
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Strong technical depth in one or more of: C# / .NET (Windows desktop), C / C++ (firmware / embedded), Python (analysis and internal tooling).
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Strong understanding of software architecture, performance optimization, and cross-platform development.
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Familiarity with soft real-time systems, instrument control, and hardware-software integration.
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Working knowledge of source control (git), CI / CD, and modern development workflows.
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Strong Scrum practitioner; experience running sprint cadences, backlog grooming, and retrospectives in Jira and GitHub workflows.
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Strong communication skills — able to explain software trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders (Manufacturing, Service, Sales, customers).
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Coaching and team-building; experience growing engineers from junior to mid / senior level.
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Comfort operating in an ISO 9001 or comparable QMS environment with software validation requirements.
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Adherence to company ethics, customer-confidentiality, and gifts / conflict-of-interest policies in all customer and supplier interactions.
Preferred Qualifications
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Direct experience with optical metrology, interferometry, or scientific imaging applications.
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Experience with FPGA development or hardware-software co-design.
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Experience with GPU acceleration (CUDA, OpenCL, or compute shaders) for performance-critical metrology computation.
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Experience with robotic automation integration in industrial product lines (relevant to 4D’s Inspec product line).
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Demonstrated track record of driving adoption of AI-assisted development tools (GitHub Copilot, Claude or other LLM-based development workflows) in a software engineering team.
Working Conditions
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Tucson, AZ-based, on-site at the facility for daily presence with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Service. This is an on-site role; occasional work-from-home flexibility is supported, but the role is not hybrid.
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Travel up to 10% for customer engagements, supplier visits, and trips to the corporate office in Milpitas.
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Standard business hours with flexibility for release windows, customer escalations, and cross-time-zone collaboration as needed.
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Physical demands include occasional time on the manufacturing floor for tool integration and validation testing.
Why Join Onto Innovation?
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.
Compensation & Growth
$115,200.00 - $172,800.00, offered in good faith and based on experience, location, and qualifications.
Empowering Every Voice to Shape the Future:
Onto Innovation is committed to creating a workplace where every qualified candidate has an equal opportunity to succeed. We evaluate applicants based on skills, experience, and potential - without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe diversity of thought and background drives innovation and strengthens our team.
Important Note on Export Compliance
For certain positions requiring access to technical data, U.S. export licensing review may be necessary for applicants who are not U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, or other protected persons under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
