Senior Software Engineer, Simulation and Integration

Semiconductor Capital Equipment – Axcelis Technologies

Job Summary

Axcelis Technologies is seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Simulation and Integration to join our software engineering organization and play a key role in defining the validation, simulation, and system‑level testing architecture for our next‑generation ion implanter platforms. This position is focused on the design, development, and ownership of software and hardware emulation capabilities, Software‑in‑the‑Loop (SWIL) testing frameworks, and automated system integration testing spanning simulated environments, real hardware, and CI/CD pipelines.

As semiconductor manufacturing systems increase in complexity and precision, control software has become a defining platform capability rather than an implementation detail. This team was formed to proactively evolve control software architecture ahead of those demands, addressing scalability, reliability, and testability challenges that traditional approaches struggle to meet.

Traditional test approaches struggle to provide the fidelity, scalability, and early feedback required for modern equipment. This role is being created to proactively evolve simulation and integrated testing architectures ahead of those demands, addressing testability, reliability, and automation challenges that emerge as systems scale.

In this role, you will work at the intersection of software quality engineering, simulator development (equipment twin), hardware integration testing, and modern CI/CD practices, collaborating closely with equipment control, hardware, systems, and SQA teams. You will help define how complex equipment software is validated across simulated environments, physical hardware, and automated pipelines.

The primary focus of the role is on defining forward‑looking validation and simulation capabilities that scale with system complexity, rather than maintaining established test implementations or executing narrowly scoped test procedures.

This role is well‑suited for engineers who:

• Enjoy working close to real hardware while enabling effective testing before hardware exists
• Prefer ambiguous, early‑stage platform and architecture problems over narrow test execution tasks
• Care deeply about correctness, failure modes, and long‑term testability
• Want their technical decisions to materially shape how complex equipment control software is validated, integrated, and released

Primary Responsibilities

Simulation and SWIL Architecture

• Own the design, implementation, and evolution of software and hardware emulation capabilities used for SWIL and integration testing.
• Design and develop SWIL testing architectures that emulate equipment subsystems, control interfaces, and communication behaviors.
• Collaborate with equipment control, systems, and hardware engineers to model realistic operational behavior, timing, and failure modes.
• Extend simulation and emulation capabilities to support new hardware configurations, software architectures, and test scenarios.
• Ensure simulation environments integrate cleanly with production control software and automated test frameworks.

Integrated Testing & Test Case Development

• Own system‑level test case design and development, from requirements through execution and diagnostics.
• Develop automated tests that validate functional behavior, sequencing, timing, and error handling across integrated subsystems.
• Execute and debug tests on both emulated environments and real hardware tools, bridging gaps between simulation and physical systems.
• Implement fault‑injection scenarios (via scripting and automation) to validate robustness, recovery behavior, and edge cases.
• Ensure traceability between requirements, test intent, execution results, and observed failures.

CI & Test Automation

• Design and maintain CI pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions) to support SWIL, integration, and regression testing.
• Integrate automated tests into CI workflows to provide fast, reliable feedback on system‑level changes.
• Develop supporting tooling, scripts, and infrastructure to improve test reliability, diagnostics, and scalability.
• Analyze failures from CI and lab environments, performing root‑cause analysis across software, simulation, and hardware layers.
• Continuously improve test coverage, execution time, and signal‑to‑noise ratio within automated pipelines.

Collaboration & Engineering Excellence

• Partner closely with Equipment Control, Systems Engineering, Hardware Engineering, and SQA to define test strategies and coverage goals.
• Influence software and system architecture to improve testability, observability, and fault isolation.
• Contribute to engineering best practices around test automation, CI, documentation, and maintainability.
• Help define long‑term strategy for simulation‑based validation and integration testing across product lines.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in software development, test automation, simulation, or systems integration.
• Strong proficiency in C#; working knowledge of Python and YAML required.
• Hands‑on experience with test automation frameworks, test infrastructure, and modern development workflows.
• Experience building or maintaining CI pipelines using Git, GitHub Actions / GitHub Workflows, or similar CI systems.
• Solid understanding of system‑level testing concepts, including integration testing, fault validation, and regression testing.
• Strong analytical and debugging skills across layered software and hardware systems.

Preferred / Differentiating Experience

• Experience with SWIL, SIL, HIL, or simulator‑based testing for complex systems.
• Familiarity with hardware transport or industrial communication protocols.
• Experience emulating hardware behavior or building software abstractions for physical systems.
• Hands‑on experience with fault injection, stress testing, or failure‑mode validation.
• Experience with requirements management and traceability tools.
• Understanding of safety-critical or real-time systems testing environments.
• Background in semiconductor capital equipment, industrial automation, aerospace, defense, or similar domains.
• Experience working in Agile development environments with cross‑functional teams.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

It is the policy of Axcelis to provide equal opportunity in all areas of employment for all persons free from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, color, national origin, disability status, medical condition (including pregnancy), veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Axcelis will provide reasonable accommodation necessary to enable a disabled candidate or employee to perform the essential functions of the position, unless the accommodation would create an undue hardship for the Company.

U.S. BASE SALARY RANGE

$141,913.76 - $212,870.64
This base salary range reflects the typical compensation for this role across U.S. locations.

Our salary ranges are determined by role and level; individual pay is determined based on multiple factors, including job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, work location, and internal equity. The range provides the opportunity for growth and progression as you develop within the role.

Base pay is one part of our U.S. total compensation package which includes eligibility in the Axcelis Team Incentive bonus plan, and comprehensive benefits package (for regular employees working 20+ hours a week).