Senior Instrument Designer Jobs in Minneapolis, MN

Lead Software Engineer - Instrument Control

Build the software that controls advanced instruments used to understand materials at the atomic level.

Position Overview

Physical Electronics USA (PHI) is seeking a Lead Software Engineer - Instrument Control to own system architecture and provide technical direction for the software that controls PHI's advanced surface-analysis instruments. This senior individual contributor role combines hands-on software design and development with system-level architecture, cross-team leadership, mentoring, and direct validation on real instruments.

You will translate customer and user requirements into reliable instrument behavior, lead development across releases, and help ensure that PHI software is well-designed, well-tested, maintainable, reusable, and low-defect. You will work closely with software engineers, system testing, electrical and mechanical engineering, customer service, laboratory teams, instrument operators, and ULVAC-PHI colleagues in Japan.

What You Will Do

• Define and maintain the architecture and technical strategy for an instrument-control platform, covering instrument control, automation, user interface, data acquisition, and data reduction.
• Conceptualize customer and user needs into concrete system designs and product behavior; evaluate feasibility, clarify incomplete requirements, document assumptions and tradeoffs, and drive cross-product alignment.
• Design, develop, test, document, install, and support software solutions for sophisticated scientific instrumentation while remaining hands-on with critical implementation and troubleshooting work.
• Establish and reinforce standards for design-first development, object-oriented analysis and design, code and component reuse, testing, reviews, documentation, and release readiness.
• Define testing strategies using SmartSoft simulation, integration testing, cross-testing, and real-system validation.
• Lead design and code reviews, evaluating technical alternatives, risks, long-term maintainability, performance, reliability, and the impact of decisions across systems and products.
• Diagnose complex software, hardware/software integration, and instrument-performance issues through systems analysis, testing, and collaboration with engineering, laboratory, manufacturing, service, and field teams.
• Drive effective collaboration with ULVAC-PHI teams, including requirements clarification, system-test scheduling, operator engagement, validation sessions, and incorporation of actionable feedback.
• Create and maintain system architecture documents, design specifications, test plans, and technical roadmaps.
• Lead system-level automation, workflow, and user-experience improvements that reduce manual steps and increase repeatability, reliability, and customer value.
• Mentor engineers across experience levels through design guidance, code review, and technical coaching.
• Lead major improvements to engineering processes, testing workflows, tools, infrastructure, and productivity; drive blameless post-mortems and ensure lessons are incorporated into standards and future designs.

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related scientific or engineering discipline.

• Five or more years of professional software-engineering experience, including substantial responsibility for complex instrument-control, automation, scientific, industrial, or hardware-integrated software.
• Demonstrated ability to define system architecture, lead development across releases, resolve system-level ambiguity, and influence technical decisions across teams.
• Strong software design and development skills, including object-oriented analysis, design patterns, modular architecture, reuse, testing, diagnostics, documentation, and maintainability.
• Experience translating customer requirements into designs and dependable product behavior, including evaluating feasibility, risk, interfaces, and long-term support needs.
• Experience with simulation, integration testing, system-level testing, troubleshooting, and validation on physical equipment or similarly complex systems.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adjust technical depth for engineers, testers, laboratory users, service personnel, operators, customers, and leadership.
• Demonstrated technical and interpersonal leadership: sound judgment, constructive influence, dependable follow-through, productive handling of disagreement, and a commitment to helping others grow.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing software for analytical instruments, semiconductor equipment, laboratory automation, robotics, motion control, data acquisition, vacuum systems, or other complex capital equipment.
• Experience collaborating with electrical, mechanical, systems, manufacturing, service, and international engineering teams.
• Experience creating system architecture documents, multi-release technical roadmaps, cross-team design standards, and post-mortem improvements with measurable results.
• Working knowledge of surface-analysis techniques or scientific-instrument workflows is helpful but not required.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated starting salary range for this position is $130,000 to $150,000 annually. The actual starting salary will be determined based on the selected candidate's relevant experience, qualifications, skills, and internal equity.

Physical Electronics USA offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan; paid time off; paid holidays; disability and life insurance; and other company-sponsored benefits and programs. This position may also be eligible for company profit sharing or other incentive compensation in accordance with applicable company plans.

Why Join Physical Electronics?

PHI is a global leader in analytical instrumentation for the surface-analysis market. Our products integrate advanced digital and analog electronics, embedded systems, instrument-control and user-interface software, precision mechanical and electromechanical systems, high-voltage electron and ion optics, and automation. PHI instruments are used by leading research institutes, universities, and industrial laboratories worldwide.

• Shape the architecture and technical direction of software at the heart of PHI's world-class instruments.
• Stay hands-on while leading difficult system-level design, integration, and reliability work.
• Partner across disciplines and with global colleagues to turn complex requirements into dependable products.

• Make a visible impact on engineering quality, team capability, customer workflows, and long-term product direction.

Apply Now

If you are a hands-on technical leader who enjoys solving complex system problems, mentoring engineers, and building reliable software for advanced scientific instruments, we encourage you to apply. Help PHI advance the technology that enables customers to solve materials problems at the atomic level.

Physical Electronics USA is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.