Software QA Engineer III (E3) - Santa Clara, CA, United States
$124,000 - $171,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 25 September 2026 by the employer.
Contribute to software solutions used in semiconductor equipment and related systems.
About the role
This role involves developing, testing, and maintaining software solutions for semiconductor equipment and related systems. The position focuses on advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of semiconductor chips.
What you'll do
- Design, develop, and execute test plans for software applications and system components.
- Develop and maintain test automation, validation tools, and software documentation.
- Analyze software defects, troubleshoot issues, and contribute to bug fixes.
- Support the development of simulators, test benches, and laboratory test environments.
- Collaborate with engineering teams, product stakeholders, and customers.
- Contribute to software build, release, and DevOps processes.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field.
- 4–7 years of related experience.
- Strong programming skills in Python, Java, or C/C++.
- Understanding of software development fundamentals, data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented programming.
- Experience with operating systems, multithreading, and software debugging techniques.
- Basic knowledge of software testing concepts, automation frameworks, or quality assurance methodologies.
Nice to have
- Internship, academic project, or research experience involving software development, testing, or automation.
- Experience with source control systems (Git), CI/CD tools, or DevOps practices.
- Exposure to embedded systems, distributed systems, or hardware-software integration.
- Experience developing test automation or validation tools.
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
Skills: software development, test automation, semiconductor equipment, DevOps, troubleshooting
This role has been open 15 days — well below the 45-day median for Software Engineering Semiconductor roles.
Software Engineering Semiconductor · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
362
|
Median days open
45 d
|
Median salary
$148k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Applied Materials | All employers we track in this specialty (362 roles · 57 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 26 | 362 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 156 | 6035 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 46 d | 45 d (+1 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $148k |
Skills observed across this category: software development, test automation, semiconductor equipment, DevOps, troubleshooting
Who's hiring in this category
- Keysight Technologies · 37 open roles · median 30 d
- KLA Corporation · 31 open roles · median 158 d
- Cadence Design Systems · 28 open roles · median 199 d
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 27 open roles · median 44 d
- Micron Technology · 26 open roles · median 40 d
- NVIDIA · 25 open roles · median 40 d
How we counted: 362 open Software Engineering Semiconductor (Systems Software) roles from 57 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.