Senior Python Software Engineer – Manufacturing Test & Automation

Senior Python Software Engineer – Manufacturing Test & Automation

📍 San Francisco, CA (Onsite)

💰 $150,000 – $165,000 Base Salary DOE

🏢 Contract to Hire - 6 Months+

We're partnering with an innovative hardware technology company developing advanced sensing, robotics, and automation solutions used in industrial and autonomous systems.

We are seeking a

Senior Python Software Engineer

to develop and maintain automated manufacturing test systems that support high-volume production. This role is ideal for a software engineer who enjoys writing clean, scalable Python code while working closely with hardware, instrumentation, manufacturing systems, and data pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Develop Python-based software for automated manufacturing test systems.
• Build Hardware Abstraction Layers (HALs) and reusable software interfaces for test equipment and instrumentation.
• Design scalable, maintainable software using modern design patterns and software engineering best practices.
• Develop and optimize manufacturing data pipelines and database integrations.
• Build fault-tolerant software with retry logic, exception handling, and recovery mechanisms.
• Troubleshoot software, instrumentation, communication, and production test station issues.
• Develop automated multi-instrument test sequences and improve manufacturing throughput.
• Write unit tests and support software validation prior to production deployment.
• Participate in code reviews and maintain structured Git-based development workflows.
• Work closely with Manufacturing, Test, Software, Product, and Operations teams to support production and NPI builds.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related technical field.
• 3+ years of professional software development experience.
• Strong Python programming skills with experience developing production-quality software.
• Solid understanding of object-oriented programming, design patterns, custom exceptions, decorators, and context managers.
• Experience interfacing with hardware using protocols such as SCPI, PyVISA, Serial (RS-232/485), TCP/IP, Modbus, or similar.
• Experience working in Linux/Unix environments.
• Experience with Git version control and Docker.
• Strong SQL and database experience (PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, or similar).
• Experience troubleshooting software and hardware integration issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting manufacturing, production test, NPI, or automation environments.
• Experience with test automation frameworks, TDD, unit testing, or software simulations.
• Exposure to optics, cameras, lasers, computer vision, or OpenCV.
• Experience in robotics, industrial automation, electronics, automotive, or other hardware-focused industries.
• Experience developing software that interacts directly with physical devices and test equipment.

Why Join?

• Work on cutting-edge sensing, robotics, and automation technologies.
• Build software that directly impacts product quality, manufacturing efficiency, and production scalability.
• Collaborate with highly skilled software, hardware, and manufacturing engineering teams.
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and long-term career growth opportunities.

Compensation:

$150,000 – $165,000 Base Salary DOE

Location:

San Francisco, CA (Onsite)

Employment Type:

Direct Hire / Permanent