{"id":2206308,"url":"https://alion.io/job/nearfield-instruments-software-test-architect","title":"Software Test Architect","company":{"id":174218,"name":"Nearfield Instruments","domain":"nearfieldinstruments.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/nearfield-instruments","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Recruitee","truth_index":{"grade":"D","score":53,"open_postings":58,"ghost_share":0.776,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"}},"role":"QA","role_family":"QA","seniority":"staff","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Rotterdam, Netherlands"],"countries":["NL"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":68000,"max_usd":155000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":182},"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C#","optional":true},{"name":"Jira","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true},{"name":"Ray","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-01-29T11:53:13Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-01-29","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T14:24:58Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":256,"trust":{"level":"ghost","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale","company_stale"],"days_open":255},"description":"From smartphones to electric vehicles, semiconductor chips power the devices that shape modern life. As these chips continue to shrink, traditional inspection and measurement methods can no longer meet the extreme precision required to test the quality of these chips. This is where Nearfield Instruments (NFI) makes a difference.\nWe are a leading provider of advanced metrology solutions, utilizing cutting-edge technologies to deliver the highest accuracy in semiconductor manufacturing. As a Software Test Architect in our dynamic Software Group, you will play a crucial role in defining how the software behind these state-of-the-art tools is tested, validated, and guaranteed to perform. Your work ensures our systems meet the demanding reliability and precision that the industry requires.\nWhat will you be doing?\nAs a Software Test Architect, you shape the testing strategy and architecture for high-precision metrology and configuration-management software for our QUADRA machine.\nYou will be responsible for developing the test roadmap, defining test architecture, and working closely with software, systems, and hardware architects to ensure every feature and subsystem is testable by design. This role combines deep technical testing expertise, system-level architectural thinking with a hands-on approach. Meaning you combine a helicopter view with a getting things done mentality.\nYour main responsibilities include, but are not limited to:\nDevelop and maintain the overall test strategy, while optimizing for requirements coverage and efficiency.\n\nDefine, document, and maintain test plans, test specifications, and validation strategies.\n\nIdentify test coverage, risks, and required test assets early in the design and development phases.\n\nTranslate system requirements and specifications into structured test cases, both manual and automated.\n\nRoot cause analysis of issues in production and field.\n\nProactively contribute to sprint planning, backlog refinement, and Definition of Done discussions to embed testability early.\n\nRequirements\nWhat makes this role interesting?\nYou work directly with high-tech semiconductor applications on the edge of hardware and software performance.\n\nYou enjoy testing and validating complex machines and translating this complexity into reliable, easy-to-maintain software.\n\nYou will be working with an amazing team working across the software stack: from semiconductor process logic and UI to control systems and precision measurement software down to IO and safety logic.\n\nYou collaborate with highly skilled experts in AFM, physics, mechatronics, system engineering, and precision robotics.\n\nYou thrive in a dynamic, scale-up environment where continuous learning, experimentation, and improvement are part of daily life.\n\nWhat makes you a fit?\nMindset & Environment Fit\nYou enjoy fast-paced, high-tech environments where innovation and iteration happen quickly. You are comfortable with ambiguity, continuous change, and taking ownership beyond your primary scope to help deliver high-quality products. You proactively introduce improvements and embrace modern testing practices.\nExperience & Skills\nYou have 7+ years of experience as senior software test engineer or software test architect testing for high-tech, complex machine control systems, preferably in the semiconductor or advanced robotics domain.\nYou bring experience in:\nCreating broad and deep understanding of a complex product.\n\nUsing this understanding to keep overview of test vs requirement and test vs code coverage and mapping out risks where there are gaps.\n\nCreating and maintaining a test strategy on the best choices between unit and component testing, simulation and mocking to system level and Hardware in the Loop testing.\n\nWork effectively across mixed technology stacks, integrating C# and Python-based tools for automation or simulation.\n\nCertification doesn’t equate qualification, but you are able to apply structured testing principles from frameworks such as ISTQB.\n\nPreferably experience with using Jira test management plugins (e.g., X-Ray, Zephyr)\n\nRecruitment, consultancy and/or other agency?\nWe appreciate the interest, but we source all our candidates directly. We understand that you as an intermediary want to present candidates to our interesting positions. This is not how we have structured our recruitment.\nThis means that all profiles offered to Nearfield Instruments will be treated as direct applications unless we have explicitly agreed otherwise.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4504,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Continuous learning"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Semiconductor Equipment"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-09T23:35:52Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":8,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.285,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":255,"expected_fill_days":51,"reasons":["conf:3","stale_co","ghost","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/nearfield-instruments-software-test-architect","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/nearfield-instruments-software-test-architect.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-12T14:43:04Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":23190,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-13T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":174218},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=174218"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fnearfield-instruments-software-test-architect"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fnearfield-instruments-software-test-architect"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fnearfield-instruments-software-test-architect"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/nearfield-instruments-software-test-architect\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fnearfield-instruments-software-test-architect"}]}