Software Engineer (Automation & Backend Systems)

Role - Software Engineer (Automation & Backend Systems) Location: San Diego, CA 92121 Contract Duration: 12 months Position Overview Client is seeking an experienced engineer to develop, maintain, and support production-grade software automation systems, backend services, and data-processing workflows. The engineer will join the Automation team within Yield Architecture Engineering, helping improve engineering productivity, system reliability, and operational efficiency. This is a hands-on individual contributor role requiring strong Python, Linux, SQL, database, and software troubleshooting skills. The engineer will also use AI-assisted development tools to accelerate coding, testing, debugging, and documentation while ensuring software quality and production readiness. Key Responsibilities Develop, test, and maintain automation scripts, tools, backend services, and software applications. Build and support Linux-based automation systems and engineering workflows. Develop and maintain data-processing pipelines and database-driven workflows. Integrate data from multiple engineering systems using SQL, databases, and APIs. Troubleshoot software defects, database issues, scheduled jobs, and data pipeline failures. Improve system reliability through monitoring, logging, debugging, and operational support. Use AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or similar coding agents to improve development productivity. Maintain production-quality code, testing standards, documentation, and version control practices. Collaborate with software and engineering teams on design reviews, issue resolution, and delivery. Support knowledge transfer and documentation to ensure long-term maintainability. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, plus 4+ years of relevant experience; OR a master's degree in a related field plus 3+ years of relevant experience. Strong hands-on Python development experience. Strong Linux/Unix experience. Experience with SQL and relational databases. Experience building automation tools, backend systems, or data-processing workflows. Experience developing and maintaining production-quality software. Experience with Git or a similar version control system. Effective debugging and problem-solving skills. Effective written and verbal communication skills. Practical experience using GenAI-assisted software development tools. Preferred Qualifications Experience in semiconductor, ASIC, or engineering automation environments. Experience with REST APIs and backend application development. Experience with Oracle, PL/SQL, or large-scale data systems. Experience with LSF, distributed computing, batch processing, or job scheduling. Experience with dashboards, monitoring, logging, and observability tools. Experience supporting production systems and engineering workflows.