Software Design Engineer Jobs
Software Design Engineer jobs are open across aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, and enterprise software, from new-grad to principal and staff levels, with specializations in embedded systems, FPGA design, and hardware-software integration. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
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ABOUT US
Reframe Systems is a Physical AI and robotics company on a mission to make high-performance housing attainable and abundant in the communities where people want to live. Through our vertically integrated delivery model and highly automated microfactories, we deliver climate resilient homes and buildings with greater speed and predictability than traditional construction.
Our volumetric modular buildings are produced in our Andover, MA microfactory, with a growing pipeline across North America and a new microfactory on the way. We are building a system that balances repeatability with site-responsive design, enabling homes that are adaptable to each site, community, and customer need. Our cross-disciplinary team brings together architecture, robotics, design engineering, software, factory operations, and field delivery to change how housing gets delivered.
We’re reimagining the future of housing through a smarter and more sustainable system that empowers people to live better. Come build it with us.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
We're looking for a Staff Software Engineer to own the hardest parts of our design automation platform: the system that takes a high-level design and, with minimal intervention, produces a manufacturable model and production plan (think: every stud, nail, HVAC register, and duct placed). Think of it as a compiler for a building. Take a design in high-level abstractions and make it executable on our microfactory.
This is a senior, hands-on technical leadership role. You take a messy domain, decompose it, and find clean solutions. You have built something structurally similar before, whether that's a geometry engine, a fabrication toolchain, or a physics simulation engine. You use coding agents daily and have developed a strong intuition on how to what frontier models excel at and what they don’t.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Help architect and build the core of our design automation platform: the pipeline that lowers a building design into manufacturing-ready outputs.
Turn a messy, ambiguous domain into clean, durable abstractions. Decompose large problems, prove solutions in the real world, and cut scope judiciously.
Design the pipeline's stages, intermediate representation, and the verification gates that catch problems early.
Set technical direction for design automation and raise the engineering bar through review, standards, and mentorship.
Leverage AI to both build this system and utilize it within the system itself.
Collaborate with highly interdisciplinary teams to build towards a highly automated system while progressively augmenting our existing workflows.
QUALIFICATIONS
Prior knowledge or experience in architecture or construction is not required. We'll get you up to speed.
Must Have
Bachelor’s in computer science or electrical engineering; or equivalent experience.
5+ years of experience building production software.
Strong software engineering experience, ideally in Go, Python or C#, including automated testing, CI/CD, monitoring and alerting, debugging and root cause analysis.
Experience with cloud-native architecture, especially data-centric applications. Experience managing infrastructure and deployments in containerized/cloud services (EC2, Lambda, etc.).
Demonstrated technical leadership. Have a track record of turning a messy domain into clean abstractions and demonstrated the ability to deliver reliable code at scale under tight timelines.
Experience using coding agents to build prototypes, get to a solution rapidly, and augment day-to-day development.
Comfortable picking up new programming languages quickly and becoming productive in them.
Nice to Have
Having any of these would be a huge bonus but none are required to be a strong candidate:
Depth in one or more of these domains:
Geometric engines and CAD: you’ve helped build an integrated CAD system or some of the engine behind a tool like that. Some specific examples:
Parametric/feature-based CAD, such as Onshape, Open CASCADE, build123d/CadQuery, Zoo, Solidworks, Autodesk Fusion/Inventor.
Computational geometry engines. B-rep kernels, meshes, and geometric constraint solvers mean something to you.
Procedural and generative design
or, Design automation in other industries: you’ve worked on systems for automated design in domains other than architecture and mechanical design. Electronic Design Automation (EDA) has a lot of conceptual overlap with what we’re building and believe there’s a lot to learn from that world. Some specific examples:
Software for HDL synthesis and ASIC design
Circuit through PCB design software
CAM and G-code generators/post-processors
or, Game/physics engine: you’ve worked on the nuts and bolts of some pieces of a physics and/or rendering game engine.
or, Compilers and program transformation: contributed to a compiler, interpreter, query planner, or high-level synthesis engine.
Experience with Onshape and writing FeatureScript.
Production applied AI work: tool-use orchestration, structured generation, eval harnesses.
Experience with architecture, construction, or mechanical design software
Have utilized GPU-accelerated compute.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Reframe Systems is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
If you believe you have the skills to thrive in this role, we encourage you to apply—even if you don't meet 100% of the listed requirements. At this time, we are only considering candidates who are authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for current or future visa sponsorship.
Compensation Range: $160K - $210K
Software Design Engineer Jobs by Experience Level
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Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Medical Devices
- Electronics & Hardware
- Automotive
- Manufacturing
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in software design engineer jobs.
- Bachelor's degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science
- Proficiency in C or C++ for embedded or systems-level development
- Experience with hardware description languages such as VHDL or Verilog for FPGA roles
- Familiarity with real-time operating systems and low-level firmware development
- Ability to read and interpret schematics, datasheets, and hardware interface specifications
- Experience using version control systems and design documentation tools such as Git and Confluence
Tips for Your Software Design Engineer Job Search
Tailor your resume to the domain
Software design engineers work across embedded, FPGA, and application layers, and hiring managers scan for domain fit first. Clearly label each project with its domain, the hardware or software stack involved, and your specific contribution to the design.
Show design artifacts, not just outcomes
Most candidates list results, but software design roles expect evidence of the design process itself. Include block diagrams, architecture decision records, or design review documents in your portfolio to demonstrate how you think through system constraints.
Filter openings by stack, not just title
The same job title covers very different work depending on whether a team uses VHDL, C on bare metal, or a RTOS. Read every job description for the specific stack before applying so your cover letter references the tools the team actually uses.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists software design engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare for design-review style interviews
Many software design engineer panels ask you to walk through a past design under critique, not just solve whiteboard problems. Practice narrating your design decisions out loud, including trade-offs you rejected, so you can hold a technical discussion at the whiteboard.
Negotiate around IP and project scope
Compensation for software design roles often includes assignment-of-invention clauses that affect side projects and prior work. Before you sign, confirm which pre-existing projects are explicitly excluded so there are no disputes after you start.
Software Design Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most software design engineers?
The companies hiring the most software design engineers right now include General Motors (GM), Northrop Grumman, and Katalyst Healthcares & Life Sciences, with the largest share of openings in Texas, California, and Michigan, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Demand is concentrated at companies building embedded systems, semiconductor products, and complex consumer hardware.
How many software design engineer jobs are remote?
About 43% of software design engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of August 2026, which is lower than in pure software roles because much of the work involves interacting with physical hardware prototypes and lab equipment. Application-layer and firmware simulation roles tend to offer the most remote flexibility within this title.
How do you become a software design engineer?
Most software design engineers start with a bachelor's degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science, building hands-on skills in C, C++, or hardware description languages through coursework and personal projects. From there, entry-level roles in embedded firmware, FPGA development, or systems software provide the design-cycle experience needed to advance. Building a portfolio of design artifacts, contributing to open-source hardware projects, and seeking roles that expose you to full design reviews accelerates the path to senior levels.
How do you get hired as a software design engineer with little experience?
Employers hiring junior software design engineers look for evidence you can work close to hardware, so personal projects involving microcontrollers, single-board computers, or custom PCBs carry real weight even without professional experience. Internships at companies with hardware products, contributions to open-source firmware repositories, and coursework in digital logic or operating systems all help close the gap. Applying to roles explicitly labeled associate or junior gives you a realistic entry point while you build your domain knowledge.
What does the software design engineer interview process look like?
The process typically starts with a recruiter screen focused on your background and domain experience, followed by a technical phone or video round covering coding, systems concepts, or hardware fundamentals depending on the role. On-site or virtual final rounds usually include a design exercise where you architect a system or component under time pressure, a deep-dive into a past project you designed, and a behavioral round. Some companies add a written design document review or ask you to critique an existing architecture before the final decision.
Where can I find and apply to software design engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to software design engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States in one place. Search the listings to find roles that match your domain, stack, and seniority level, then apply directly to each opening that fits.
See All 95 Software Design Engineer Jobs
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