Principal Software Engineer

The Company

Halo Industries has invented a technology to replace a decades-old semiconductor material wire saw slicing process that wastes billions of dollars annually in high-value materials.

Halo’s laser-based technology eliminates this waste from the silicon carbide (SiC) substrate manufacturing process, delivering improvements in both material cost and performance, while enabling accelerated growth for a diverse set of high-growth application markets, including the electric vehicle, grid infrastructure, industrial HVAC and other high-voltage power electronics sectors.

Halo originally spun out of Stanford University in 2014, acquiring a significant series A round of VC funding in 2020 following the successful demonstration of the company’s precision material slicing equipment. Having recently closed on an $80M+ B round of VC funding, Halo is driving the fast-scale growth of the company’s team and manufacturing operations.

Halo Industries is well-funded, deeply engaged with multiple strategic customers, and staged to achieve rapid operational, revenue, and valuation growth.

The Opportunity

As Halo transitions from R&D to high-volume manufacturing, we are seeking a Principal Machine Control Software Engineer to support the development, integration, and maintenance of equipment control systems for our semiconductor production tools.

This role will focus on hands-on software development and system integration, working closely with cross-functional engineering teams. The engineer will report to a senior member of the machine control team and contribute to building reliable, scalable automation systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and lifecycle management of advanced machine control software for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance in high-precision environments.
• Architect and oversee implementation of industrial communication frameworks, including SECS/GEM, TCP/IP, EtherCAT, Modbus, Ethernet/IP, and RS232/RS485, establishing robust and extensible interfaces across complex systems.
• Drive development of high-performance software solutions in C# (including WPF), defining standards for graphical user interfaces, device communication layers, and real-time system monitoring.
• Own the integration strategy for hardware subsystems such as robotics, motion control systems, lasers, and data acquisition devices, ensuring seamless coordination between software and physical components.
• Define and guide the development of operator control systems, automation logic, and state machines for sophisticated equipment, emphasizing maintainability, fault tolerance, and operational efficiency.
• Lead system-level debugging, testing, and validation efforts, establishing best practices and mentoring engineers in root cause analysis and issue resolution across hardware-software boundaries.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering teams to drive end-to-end system integration, influencing design decisions and resolving complex technical challenges.
• Establish and enforce software architecture standards, control methodologies, and safety practices aligned with industry regulations and internal quality benchmarks.
• Champion engineering excellence through code reviews, documentation standards, version control strategies, and continuous improvement of development processes.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams, contributing to strategic planning, technology roadmaps, and innovation initiatives within the organization.

Requirements

• Basic Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
• 20+ years of relevant experience in machine control, automation, or industrial software development
• Hands-on experience with industrial communication protocols (e.g., Modbus, TCP/IP, serial interfaces)
• Experience developing software in C# for hardware control and UI applications
• Experience with Industrial automation hardware
• Understanding of motion control concepts, including PID loop control and state machine design

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in semiconductor equipment or similar industrial environments
• Exposure to wafer handling robots or semiconductor devices
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills in complex electromechanical systems
• Experience in Python
• Experience with SECS/GEM and factory automation systems
• Experience with machine vision or camera systems
• Familiarity with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
• Background in mechatronics or automation systems