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# Principal Systems Engineer

- **Company:** Onto Innovation
- **Location:** Wilmington, NC, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $144,000.0 - $216,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Systems Engineering, LabVIEW, MATLAB, Systems Architecture, Zemax
- **Published:** November 5, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.dice.com/job-detail/e381e79b-b336-4179-a576-10cf99548ca3

## About the Role

* Proactive self-starter with strong initiative.
 * Effective team player and creative problem solver.
 * Capable of leading and completing complex projects independently.
 * Detail-oriented with strong documentation skills.
 * Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication abilities.
 * Committed to continuous learning and professional development., * PhD (preferred) or advanced degree in Physics, Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field.
 * 10+ years of experience in high-precision optical or semiconductor capital equipment, or related industries.
 * Proven ability to ideate, prototype, and bring complex products to market.
 * Strong analytical skills for root cause analysis and solution development.
 * Demonstrated experience with cross-functional product development projects.
 * Knowledge of optical inspection, metrology, spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and reflectometry is a plus.
 * Experience with MATLAB, LabVIEW, and ZEMAX is a plus.
 * Must be able to travel internationally to customer sites at least 20% of the time, with additional travel as business needs require.

## Description

Onto Innovation is a leader in process control, combining global scale with an expanded portfolio of leading-edge technologies that include: 3D metrology spanning the chip from nanometer-scale transistors to micron-level die-interconnects; macro defect inspection of wafers and packages; metal interconnect composition; factory analytics; and lithography for advanced semiconductor packaging. Our breadth of offerings across the entire semiconductor value chain helps our customers solve their most difficult yield, device performance, quality, and reliability issues. Onto Innovation strives to optimize customers' critical path of progress by making them smarter, faster and more efficient., We are seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to independently contribute to the development of complex automated optical inspection and metrology platforms for the semiconductor industry. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in several of the following areas: optical or imaging instrument development, semiconductor inspection and metrology, systems engineering, and creative problem-solving., * Define project goals and technical requirements.

 * Develop system architecture and identify/mitigate technical risks.
 * Collaborate with program management to plan and execute engineering activities.
 * Apply full-system knowledge and analytical skills to develop effective solutions.
 * Work cross-functionally with stakeholders across marketing, supply chain, production, field service, and engineering disciplines to ensure project success