Director, Optical Engineering

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips—the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world—like AI and IoT.

About the role

You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company.

Responsibilities

• Managing a team of Optical Engineers across multiple programs
• Lead and/or develop and execute significantly complex system projects
• Oversee and approve designs in team design reviews
• Take active part in the design of complex modules / sub-modules
• Approve qualification results of complex modules
• Define experiments and determine the type of meaningful data required to support evaluation and technical decision
• Problem identification and troubleshooting a wide range of significantly complex problems
• Oversee and approve research and analysis results
• Support high level / complex physics related application and system issues in the lab and in the field when required
• Function as specialist for physics/scientists issues, while influencing and utilizing expertise in interfacing with external and internal customers
• Lead and/or develop and execute system projects, troubleshoot system problems, and define system specifications and schedules
• Regularly interact with senior managers on matters involving several functional areas, departments or customers concerning projects, operations, and schedules
• Review and approve system and sub-system requirements and specifications designed by other team members
• Apply advanced principles, theories, and concepts; contribute to the development of new principles and concepts
• Take an active part in product risk management discussions leveraging expertise and knowledge to influence and drive risk management decisions
• Work with marketing to define tool specification and performance
• Initiate innovative physics/science projects which extend boundaries of system performance or technology
• Lead the selection and management of strategic vendors
• Maintain relationships with outside customers of innovation, Universities, Consortia
• Lead technological customer engagements driving innovation & development
• Meet high-level executives on the customer side affecting customer decision making
• Provide mentoring for less experienced physicists/scientists
• Research new technologies and analyze competition technology
• Evaluate new technologies
• Plan and execute complex feasibility studies of new technologies and lead the decision-making process
• Prepare and deliver papers regarding new technologies, share and promote new ideas and capabilities
• Plan and execute feasibility studies of complete systems / sub-systems, leveraging new technologies and design concepts
• Lead the demonstration of new capabilities and drive the decision-making process

Requirements

• 20+ years of experience within the optical design engineering field (including 8+ years leading Engineering teams) for the development of high-performance optical systems used in the semiconductor industry
• Experience leading teams in all aspects of the design cycle from specification development, design, supplier support, part verification, and integration
• Provide support for system alignment procedures and tooling development
• Experience developing optical systems and working in a product development environment
• Regarded as the technical expert in their particular field
• Demonstrates in-depth and/or breadth of expertise in own discipline and broad knowledge of other disciplines within the function
• Responsible for the development of major optical subsystems
• Work with system engineers to develop design specifications and trade-offs between sub-systems
• Collaborate and communicate with suppliers during design of critical optical sub-assemblies
• Evaluate and analyze optical systems; understand performance limits and manufacturability
• Develop alignment strategies and tooling
• Develop and maintain error budgets and define subsystem level requirements to be characterized and validated during the system alpha testing phase for current and future products
• Use customer and system requirements to derive design specifications for subsystems, modules, and components and provide input to design engineers throughout the design process

Suitability Factors

• A very mature individual with the right balance of confidence and humility
• Exceptional ability to absorb and handle stress
• Process oriented while also strongly developing and relying on interpersonal relationships across the company
• Ability to connect equally well upwards, downwards, and sideways in the organization
• Self-motivated and driven towards excellence
• A high level of EQ to manage across a large team with significant diversity
• An inspiring leader
• Very strong ability to translate multi-dimensional market requirements into engineering specifications, including negotiating with various stakeholders
• Analyzing, processing, and decision-making based on multidisciplinary and multi-functional data sources that could frequently be incomplete
• Ability to distinguish between and prioritize urgent and important issues
• Situational awareness and complex decision-making ability appropriate for the situation

Pay

Salary: $210,000.00 - $289,000.00

Schedule

• Full time
• Travel: Yes, 20% of the time
• Relocation Eligible: Yes

Benefits

At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. The salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and with consideration of internal equity of our current team members. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.