Principal Software Engineer (R&D Engineering)

Location: Madrid, Spain

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

You Are

Building developer tools and libraries that engineers genuinely want to use is at the core of your engineering experience. Python is your main language, but working close to the system when needed also feels natural, including with compiled languages like C++ or C#, performance constraints, bindings, wrappers, and integration layers.

You care about API design because it shapes how easily other engineers can build on your work. That means thinking through the interface, the abstraction, and the limits of the underlying system before committing to a direction.

Clear communication is just as important as technical depth, as you will be working across different business units and geographies. At Synopsys, this means helping shape PyAnsys, the open source Python ecosystem that extends Ansys simulation and analysis tools across industries such as aerospace, automotive, and electronics.

This is a fully remote position based in Spain. Candidates must be currently residing in Spain or willing to relocate prior to joining the company.

What You'll Be Doing

• Design and develop Python libraries for PyAnsys, building APIs and frameworks that make Ansys simulation tools more accessible, scriptable, and integrated into modern engineering workflows

• Lead architecture and technical planning across multiple projects within the PyAnsys ecosystem, coordinating with engineering teams across Ansys business units to align on priorities, interfaces, and release schedules

• Work at the boundary between Python and compiled languages like C++ or C#, building bindings, wrappers, and integration layers that preserve performance while improving usability

• Define and enforce best practices for library design, testing, documentation, and release management, conducting technical reviews and mentoring engineers to raise the quality bar across the team

• Collaborate directly with Ansys product teams and strategic users to understand requirements, prototype solutions, and validate that what you are building actually solves the problems engineers face in production

• Debug complex issues that span Python, compiled code, and the underlying Ansys solvers, coordinating with QA and support teams to ensure problems get resolved and do not resurface

• Represent the PyAnsys effort in technical discussions with leadership, customers, and the open source community, translating between business goals and engineering reality

The Impact You Will Have

• The Python libraries you build will become the primary way thousands of engineers interact with Ansys products, shaping how simulation gets integrated into automated workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud environments

• Your architectural decisions will determine whether PyAnsys scales to support new Ansys products and capabilities over the next five years, or becomes a maintenance burden that slows everyone down

• Engineers across multiple business units will adopt the patterns, standards, and tooling you define, creating consistency and reducing friction across a historically fragmented product portfolio

• Customers who have been blocked by clunky interfaces or missing automation will finally be able to script, optimize, and scale their simulation workflows because you made it possible

• The open source community around PyAnsys will grow and contribute more effectively because you built clear APIs, wrote documentation that makes sense, and engaged with users who care about this work

• The engineers you mentor will carry forward the technical rigor and design thinking you model, raising the level of execution across the PyAnsys team and beyond

What You'll Need

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field with 12+ years of software development experience, Master's with 10+ years, or PhD with 8+ years, all in commercial or production software environments

• Deep expertise in Python for building libraries, frameworks, or developer tools, with a strong understanding of API design, packaging, testing, and open source development practices

• Hands-on experience with compiled languages like C++ or C#, including work on performance-critical code, interoperability, or binding layers between Python and lower-level systems

• Proven ability to lead technical efforts across multiple teams or business units, driving alignment on architecture, priorities, and execution in ambiguous or politically complex environments

• Fluent written and spoken English, with demonstrated ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to engineers, product managers, and leadership across global teams

• Experience with simulation software, scientific computing, numerical methods, or engineering tools is a strong plus

• Track record of mentoring engineers, conducting design reviews, and raising the technical quality of a team or codebase

Who You Are

• You can explain to a mechanical engineer why their Python script is slow, propose three ways to fix it, and help them understand the tradeoffs without making them feel like they should have known better

• When a product manager asks if a feature is possible, you do not just say yes or no, you outline what it would take, what it would cost in complexity, and what the right scope is for the first iteration

• You write code that other engineers can read six months later without needing to ask you what you were thinking, and you review pull requests with the same care you would want applied to your own work

• You have learned that the best way to influence a distributed team is not to issue mandates, but to build something so clearly better that people choose to adopt it

• You are comfortable presenting a technical roadmap to a room full of senior engineers and product leaders, fielding hard questions, and adjusting your plan based on feedback without losing the thread

• When something breaks in production, you stay calm, gather the right people, and work the problem methodically until it is solved and understood

The Team You'll Be Part Of

You will be part of the PyAnsys team, a global group focused on building and maintaining open source Python libraries that extend the capabilities of Ansys simulation and analysis products. The team works across all Ansys business units, collaborating with product engineering, customer success, and the broader open source community. Projects span multiple Ansys tools and services, and the work requires close coordination with engineers and stakeholders across Europe, the US, and other regions. Your recruiter will share more about team structure, current priorities, and how this role fits into the broader PyAnsys roadmap.

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non-monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.

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