Software Engineer (Early Career) – C++ & Systems
SirenOpt · San Leandro · $120,000–$160,000 (stated in the posting)
About SirenOpt
At SirenOpt®, we are building the manufacturing intelligence layer for advanced materials. We help manufacturers visualize, understand, and control the material behavior that determines yield, performance, and safety across energy, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and semiconductor applications.
We are working on this problem because advanced materials are becoming more critical and more complex, but the tools used to manufacture them have not kept pace. Manufacturers still lack real-time visibility into the small variations that shape quality on the line. We care because those invisible variations cause scrap, waste energy and materials, create higher costs, inconsistent product performance, and introduce avoidable safety risks.
We developed PlasmaSens™, our manufacturing intelligence platform, to close that visibility gap and to lay the foundation for truly autonomous manufacturing.
We are uniquely suited to solve this problem because our expertise and our platform connect material science, plasma physics, machine learning, and manufacturing in one system. The same core technology works in-line, at-line, and off-line, and across form factors ranging from electrodes and wafers to 3D components. That flexibility lets us meet manufacturers where they are and carry insight from the lab into mass production.
We have deployed multiple PlasmaSens products with customers and collaborators across the United States, Japan, Germany, and Taiwan. We pair that real-world experience with support from leading US, European, and Japanese venture investors, the National Science Foundation, the California Energy Commission, and the Department of Energy. Our combination of differentiated technology, manufacturing experience, and global scientific and industry partnerships gives us the foundation to solve material variability at scale.
About the job
Job Title: Software Engineer (Early Career) – C++ & Systems
Location: On-Site (San Leandro, CA)
Job Type: Full-Time
Role Overview
SirenOpt is seeking a Software Engineer to help build and maintain the real-time data pipeline behind our sensing platform: acquiring data from multiple sensors, processing and storing it on Linux-based systems, and delivering it to the applications our customers rely on.
You will work primarily in modern C++ and Python, with mentorship from senior engineers, and you will be hands-on with real hardware in our lab to test and validate what you build. This is a role for someone who wants to grow into a well-rounded systems engineer by shipping production software end to end, from a first design discussion to a feature running at a customer site.
What You'll Do
- Develop and maintain software components in modern C++ (C++17/20) for Linux-based systems, with guidance from senior engineers
- Implement features, fix bugs, and write unit and integration tests across the data pipeline, from sensor acquisition through processing and storage to the services that deliver results to applications
- Write and maintain Python scripts for automation, testing, and data analysis
- Read, and where needed modify, existing code written in other languages across our codebase
- Use AI coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) to accelerate development, and verify their output through testing, profiling, and code review
- Run the system on real hardware in the lab to test and validate your changes, including setting up sensors and collecting data
- Participate in code reviews, both receiving and giving feedback, and follow team conventions for code quality
- Help diagnose and debug issues across software and hardware boundaries, working with firmware and hardware engineers
- Measure and improve performance of existing code under the direction of senior engineers
- Document your work so that others on the team can build on it
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field (recent graduates welcome)
- 0–2 years of professional software development experience; internships, co-ops, research, and substantial personal or open-source projects count
- Solid foundation in C++, including memory management, references and pointers, the standard library, and basic object-oriented and generic programming
- Strong ability to read, understand, and write Python, including working within existing Python codebases used for automation, testing, and data analysis
- Ability to pick up new programming languages quickly; our codebase spans several languages and you will need to read, and occasionally modify, code outside of C++ and Python
- Understanding of core computer science fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and concurrency basics
- Comfortable with the everyday toolchain: Linux command line, build tools (CMake or similar), a debugger, and Git-based workflows (branches, pull requests, code review)
- Hands-on experience using AI coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor) as part of a real development workflow, and the judgment to review and test what they produce
- Comfortable working hands-on with lab and test equipment: setting up sensors, running the system on real hardware, and collecting data for testing and validation (we will train you on our specific equipment)
- Clear written and verbal communication, and the ability to work well with teammates across disciplines
Nice to have:
- Experience with Qt, gRPC, or Protocol Buffers
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing
- Experience with profiling and debugging tools such as perf, Valgrind, GDB, or sanitizers
- Familiarity with hardware communication interfaces such as Ethernet, USB, or Serial
- Contributions to open-source projects
What You'll Learn
You will work on a real-time sensing platform that is already running at some of the largest manufacturers in the world, on a small team where your code reaches customers quickly.
- How a high-throughput, multi-sensor data pipeline is built end to end, from acquisition through processing and storage, and kept reliable in production
- Modern C++ and Linux systems engineering, with regular code review and mentorship from senior engineers
- How software, firmware, and hardware teams work together to ship a physical product
- How to use AI coding tools effectively and responsibly in a professional engineering workflow
- A clear path to grow into a mid-level engineer with ownership of your own components
Benefits
- Equity and Salary compensation depends on experience
- Health, Dental, Vision plans provided
- 401k matching provided
- Time off: 20 days of PTO per year, plus approximately 15 paid US holidays per year
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