Sr. Software Engineer - AI/ML

Company Overview

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

Group/Division

The Information Technology (IT) group at KLA is involved in every aspect of the global business. IT’s mission is to enable business growth and productivity by connecting people, process, and technology. It focuses not only on enhancing the technology that enables our business to thrive but also on how employees use and are empowered by technology. This integrated approach to customer service, creativity and technological excellence enables employee productivity, business analytics, and process excellence.

Job Description/PreferredQualifications

Our Enterprise Advanced Analytics team is at the forefront of transforming data into actionable insights that drive strategic decisions across the organization. We are a collaborative, cross-functional group of engineers, data scientists, analysts, and architects who value:

• Innovation: We embrace new technologies and encourage experimentation to solve complex business problems.

• Ownership: Every team member is empowered to take initiative and drive projects from concept to production.

• Transparency: We foster open communication, regular knowledge sharing, and inclusive decision-making.

• Continuous Learning: We support professional development through certifications, tech talks, and hands-on learning.

• Impact: Our work directly influences enterprise-wide initiatives, from customer experience to operational efficiency.

You’ll be joining a team that believes in building with purpose, where engineering excellence meets data-driven strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and deliver LLM-powered applications such as:
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with enterprise knowledge sources
  • Agentic workflows (tool/function calling, orchestration, multi-step reasoning)
  • Text extraction/summarization, classification, Q&A, and document intelligence
• Build and optimize retrieval pipelines: chunking strategies, embeddings, vector search, reranking, grounding, and evaluation.
• Implement safety and quality guardrails: prompt injection defenses, PII redaction, secure prompt templates, hallucination mitigation, and auditability.
• Create robust evaluation frameworks: golden datasets, automated scoring, offline/online A/B testing, and continuous regression testing for prompts/models.
• Lead technical design for complex initiatives; define reference architectures and reusable components for LLM applications and MLOps.
• Mentor engineers, conduct design/code reviews, and elevate engineering standards (testing, documentation, observability, security).
• Partner with stakeholders to translate ambiguous business needs into clear AI deliverables, milestones, success metrics, and operational SLAs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years experience in software engineering, ML engineering, or applied AI roles.
• Strong programming expertise in Python, solid SQL, and strong software engineering fundamentals (APIs, testing, CI/CD, code quality).
• Demonstrated experience building and deploying AI/ML systems into production with measurable outcomes.
• Hands-on experience building LLM applications (RAG/agents/tool calling) and implementing evaluation/monitoring practices.
• Experience with vector databases / search (e.g., Azure AI Search or equivalent), rerankers, and embedding lifecycle management.
• Familiarity with Responsible AI practices: privacy, security reviews, model risk management, bias/fairness, and explainability.

Core Technical Skills

• LLM Apps: RAG, agents, tool/function calling, prompt engineering, evaluation harnesses, guardrails
• Languages: Python (required), SQL (required)
• Cloud: Azure (deployments, security, observability, CI/CD)
• Ops: Monitoring, incident response, SLO/SLA management, cost optimization
• Data: ETL/ELT, distributed processing concepts, data quality frameworks

Preferred / Nice to Have:

• Contributions to open-source projects or technical blogs.
• Azure AI/ML ecosystem experience (e.g., Azure ML, Azure OpenAI, Functions, AKS, AAD, Key Vault, Monitor/App Insights).
• Microsoft certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Azure Developer Associate.
• Exposure to Agile/Scrum methodologies and tools like Jira or Azure boards.

Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 6 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 8 years

We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.

KLA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer

Be aware of potentially fraudulent job postings or suspicious recruiting activity by persons that are currently posing as KLA employees. KLA never asks for any financial compensation to be considered for an interview, to become an employee, or for equipment. Further, KLA does not work with any recruiters or third parties who charge such fees either directly or on behalf of KLA. Please ensure that you have searched KLA’s Careers website for legitimate job postings. KLA follows a recruiting process that involves multiple interviews in person or on video conferencing with our hiring managers. If you are concerned that a communication, an interview, an offer of employment, or that an employee is not legitimate, please send an email to [email protected] to confirm the person you are communicating with is an employee. We take your privacy very seriously and confidentially handle your information.