Embedded Software Engineer

Job Title

Embedded Software Engineer

Role Summary

Individual-contributor embedded software engineer responsible for designing, developing, and delivering low-level and system software for reticle inspection systems in the RAPID division. The role covers the full stack from Linux user space to kernel drivers and PCIe device bring-up, with emphasis on high-throughput, low-latency data capture pipelines.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 5+ years of embedded software development experience in product-focused or industrial environments.

Responsibilities

Deliver production-grade embedded software and drive technical direction across hardware and software boundaries.

• Design, implement, and deploy embedded software/firmware for machine control and high-speed image acquisition systems.
• Build quasi real-time applications in C/C++ on platforms such as real-time Linux or VxWorks.
• Develop and debug Linux kernel drivers and related user-space components; handle PCIe device enumeration/bring-up, DMA, interrupts, and memory-mapped I/O.
• Translate system requirements into partitioned designs across user-space and kernel-space where appropriate.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, optics, systems, algorithms, and applications teams to integrate solutions into production systems.
• Define and execute test plans, measure subsystem performance, and document results.
• Troubleshoot complex system-level issues spanning hardware, kernel, and user space; optimize for throughput and latency.
• Participate in design reviews, estimation, and technical planning; promote engineering best practices (CI/CD, code review, automated testing).

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience required to perform the role.

• 5+ years of embedded software development experience in product or industrial settings.
• Strong C and C++ skills and solid software engineering fundamentals (OOD/OOP, design patterns, testable design).
• Proven experience with Linux and/or RTOS environments, multi-threading, synchronization, and embedded software architecture.
• Hands-on experience developing and debugging Linux kernel drivers; familiarity with device-tree/ACPI where applicable.
• Solid understanding of PCIe fundamentals (configuration space, BARs, interrupts/MSI/MSI-X, DMA, link characteristics).
• Experience with communication protocols such as Serial (RS-232), Ethernet, EtherCAT, and TCP/IP sockets/network programming.
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills for performance-critical systems; ability to analyze and resolve cross-layer issues.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills; able to present designs and drive issues to closure.

Nice-to-have:

• Hands-on exposure to electrical, mechanical, or optical measurement instruments and lab testing.
• Experience in semiconductor fab operations and manufacturing technology.
• Familiarity with Linux performance and tracing tools (perf, ftrace, trace-cmd) and debugging with gdb.
• Experience with high-speed I/O subsystems (PCIe endpoints/switches, DMA engines, IOMMU) and diagnosing throughput/latency.
• Knowledge of Python or other scripting languages, systems modeling, and project planning skills.

Education Requirements

Degree or equivalent practical experience expected. The posting specifies Bachelor's or Master’s in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience). Minimum-qualification guidance: Bachelor's plus ~5 years relevant experience, Master’s plus ~3 years, Doctorate with 0 years acceptable.

About the Company

Company: KLA

Headquarters: Chennai, India

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company enables the production of electronic devices by inventing systems and solutions for manufacturing integrated circuits, wafers, and displays. With over 40 years of experience, KLA invests heavily in innovation and R&D to support advanced chip design and manufacturing process optimization, collaborating with top technology providers to deliver future electronic devices.