Equipment Engineer IIII

About the role

FormFactor is seeking an experienced Equipment Engineer III to support and advance manufacturing operations at our Farmers Branch, Texas facility. As a senior individual contributor, you will lead strategic efforts to improve the performance, reliability, availability, and lifecycle management of complex manufacturing equipment used in semiconductor probe card production and related manufacturing processes. In this role, you will independently drive complex engineering initiatives, resolve high-impact technical challenges, and collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, quality, facilities, and supplier organizations to improve equipment capability, manufacturing efficiency, product quality, and operational excellence. You will serve as a technical leader, influencing equipment strategies that support business growth, productivity improvements, and world-class manufacturing performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Own critical manufacturing equipment performance, reliability, maintenance strategy, and lifecycle plans.
• Lead troubleshooting, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and chronic issue resolution for complex equipment problems.
• Drive improvements in uptime, MTBF, MTTR, utilization, throughput, yield, and cost of ownership.
• Lead or support equipment selection, installation, startup, qualification, validation, upgrades, and capacity expansion projects.
• Partner with Process Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Facilities, EHS, Supply Chain, IT, and vendors to improve equipment capability and operational readiness.
• Use data, SPC, DOE, FMEA, reliability analysis, and manufacturing analytics to identify risks and improve equipment performance.
• Support automation, equipment connectivity, MES/data collection, predictive maintenance, and smart manufacturing initiatives.
• Create and maintain equipment specifications, procedures, maintenance standards, training materials, and engineering documentation.
• Mentor engineers and technicians and provide technical leadership on equipment strategy and best practices.

Preferred Qualifications & Experiences

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of relevant equipment engineering, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, maintenance engineering, semiconductor, assembly, or electronics test manufacturing experience; or 6+ years with a master's degree; or 3+ years with a Ph.D.
• Demonstrated experience independently leading complex engineering projects, resolving advanced technical problems, and influencing cross-functional decisions.
• Experience with equipment troubleshooting, qualification, reliability improvement, preventive/predictive maintenance, and manufacturing performance metrics.
• Working knowledge of safety, quality, change control, documentation, and compliance expectations in a manufacturing environment.
• Target industry experience in semiconductor manufacturing, semiconductor assembly, electronics test, wafer fabrication, probe card manufacturing, MEMS, advanced packaging, precision manufacturing, cleanroom operations, or high-volume electronics manufacturing.
• Hands-on experience with semiconductor or precision manufacturing equipment such as lithography, etch, deposition, metrology, inspection, alignment, laser processing, electrical test, robotics, material handling, vacuum, or gas delivery systems.
• Experience leading capital equipment projects, factory startup, equipment sourcing, vendor management, FAT/SAT, qualification, and manufacturing readiness activities.
• Strong capability in root cause analysis, failure analysis, SPC, DOE, FMEA, CAPA, process capability, reliability engineering, and data-driven equipment optimization.
• Experience with automation, PLC/HMI, machine vision, robotics, equipment communications, MES, manufacturing analytics, Power BI, JMP, Minitab, or predictive maintenance systems.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, operational excellence, cost reduction, capacity improvement, and continuous improvement methods.
• Experience mentoring engineers or technicians and providing technical leadership across cross-functional teams.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Flexible spending and savings accounts
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Paid time off

Skills

• Compliance Management
• Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA)
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Electronic Testing
• Equipment Qualification
• Equipment Troubleshooting
• Factory Automation
• Failure Analysis
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Human Machine Interface (HMI)
• Lean Manufacturing
• Machine Vision (MV)
• Manufacturing Analytics
• Manufacturing Equipment
• Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
• PLC Logic
• Predictive Maintenance
• Process Improvements
• Project Leadership
• Reliability Engineering
• Robotics
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• Safety Procedures