Software Engineering Manager

MKS Instruments is a global provider of instruments, subsystems and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power and control critical parameters of advanced manufacturing processes to improve process performance and productivity for our customers. Additional information can be found at www.mksinst.com .

Software Engineering Manager

As MKS is a federal contractor, it must comply with the Biden Administration’s federal contractor vaccine mandate (the “Contractor Mandate”) if it is reinstated by the courts. Should you receive and accept an offer of employment, you will be asked whether you are fully vaccinated or whether you will apply for a medical or religious exemption in the event MKS must enforce a mandatory vaccination policy in the future. Please be aware that if the Contractor Mandate is reinstated and you choose to remain unvaccinated without an approved exemption, MKS will not be able to continue to employ you.

Are you naturally curious? So are we at MKS. Our products drive technology advancements in areas like 5G, augmented/virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, clean drinking water and space exploration. We are a team of collaborators who value fresh thinking and believe in mutual respect, constructive candor, diversity and inclusion.

MKS Power Solutions’ products provide plasma generation and control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing processes. We are a key supplier to the worlds’ largest electronics producers and are currently experiencing tremendous growth. We are open to new perspectives and ideas.

We are looking for a Software Engineering Manager to lead a small team focused on two areas in embedded software development: Embedded Software Product Ownership and Embedded Software Development Process Ownership.

The Software Product duties include:

• Gather and manage customer requirements through close interaction with both customer and MKS technical and program leads.

• Analysis of customer technical requirements at project inception, as well as balancing and prioritizing new customer requirements during the project.

• Collaborate with the MKS technical leads to articulate the customer requirements to our team of Software Feature Development Managers and Subject Matter Experts to convert customer requirements into software design requirements and design architectures.

• Represent the software team on multi-disciplinary project teams and work with the Software Feature Development Managers to coordinate and own Software Delivery projects.

• Work directly with customers and MKS program management on tracking and prioritizing field escalations.

• A key aspect of this role is trade-off negotiation, proposed sequencing, and proposed prioritization of various competing feature development activities, bug fix activities, and software deliveries with the Software Feature Development Managers and internal Program Stakeholders.

The Software Development Process duties include:

• Learn the embedded software development process and propose/institute trial changes based on recent best practices. Using a metrics and data driven approach, trial process changes will be evaluated, and process modifications instituted. Due to the innovative nature of the feature sets within our products and our customers’ desires to be on the leading edge of technology, our software development process is required to be fundamentally very agile. We follow the Agile-Kanban software development process to facilitate the level of agility required.

• The “Software” team is responsible for the following items within the technology stack: signal level analog electronic circuit design, digital circuit design, FPGA development, embedded C development, PC-based python regression test development, and Matlab and python based data analysis code development. Our Software Development process encompasses all of those activities.

You will have up to six direct reports. Initially, the direct reports will consist of a Software Product Owner and an Agile Scrum Master. Direct reports will increase as the team grows.

This is a key leadership role for our Software Team. The ability and motivation to learn is essential. A solid background in embedded software development is required.

You will learn:

• The semiconductor process domain and the role that MKS Power Solutions equipment plays in those processes,

• RF Signal Processing technology,

• Closed Loop Control Systems technology,

• RF Power Electronics technology.

What you bring to the team:

• B.S. or B.A. Degree in an applicable Technical Field of Study

• 5 years of software development experience

• 3 years of Embedded Software Development

• 1 year of project or team leadership experience

• 1 year of responsibility for software delivery

It's also nice if you have:

• Experience as a Software Product Owner

• Experience having responsibility for Software Delivery

• Experience Proposing Resource Trade-Offs to Program Stakeholders

• Experience Managing Field Escalations

• Experience working with Embedded Software Development Teams, including FPGA development and Embedded C

• Experience Managing Small Teams

• Experience and formal training in Leadership

• Experience learning about a new application domain

Other:

• Travel: may be up to 10%.

MKS Instruments, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We solicit and hire applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected category. Our policy is to employ the most qualified applicants. We conduct background checks and drug screens, in accordance with company policies and federal and state guidelines.