Principal Software Engineer
Advantest
Lake Forest, CA · Posted September 21, 2026
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About the job
Principal Software Engineer
Position Overview
Hands-on Principal Software Engineer responsible for software architecture, design, coding, system integration, and debugging across SLT, Burn-In, and HPC Semiconductor test platforms. The role works directly across semiconductor testers, automated handlers, software drivers, firmware, instrumentation, thermal systems, test programs, and distributed software platforms.
Key Responsibilities
Architect, design, and develop software for SLT, Burn-In, and HPC test platforms, test orchestration, equipment integration, messaging, and data services.
Drives test driven development in Hardware-Centric Environments with high focus on unit and integration tests
Remain approximately 70% hands-on in coding, integration, testing, debugging, and technical design.
Develop cross-platform applications, SDKs, drivers, APIs, test programs, and equipment-control software using C#, .NET 10+, ASP.NET10+, Python, Blazor, and xUnit.
Develop distributed messaging, telemetry, data pipelines, and orchestration using Apache Pulsar and PostgreSQL.
Implement secure on-premises platform services using OIDC/OAuth 2.0 and related identity technologies.
Integrate software with test hardware, firmware, electrical, mechanical, thermal, and instrumentation systems.
Develop and integrate ActivATE/ActivATE360, device/instrumentation drivers, and test execution workflows.
Implement SCAN, pattern execution, and vector-conversion workflows.
Debug system-level issues across software, communications, firmware, hardware, and DUT execution.
Work directly with customers and global engineering teams during integration and deployment.
Gather requirements from customers, internal departments, and cross-BU partners; communicate tradeoffs and deliver solutions from design through production.
Design for reliable execution, test-data integrity, fault recovery, and compatibility across independently evolving components.
Mentor engineers and lead design/code reviews while remaining hands-on.
All other duties as assigned.