Equipment Engineering Manager

About the role

FormFactor, Inc. is a leading provider of essential test and measurement technologies along the full semiconductor product life cycle. The company serves customers through its network of facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Rooted in core values, FormFactor fosters an environment where diverse perspectives are welcomed and celebrated.

The Equipment Engineering Manager leads the shift-based equipment support organization for FormFactor’s advanced manufacturing operations. This role is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient performance of manufacturing equipment by driving maintenance excellence, equipment reliability, troubleshooting effectiveness, technician development, and operational readiness.

Responsibilities

• Manage Equipment Engineering Supervisors and technician teams supporting four compressed day and night shifts.
• Set expectations for safe work, shift execution, escalation discipline, technician coaching, pass-down quality, and cross-shift accountability.
• Ensure timely response to equipment downtime, preventive maintenance needs, equipment qualifications, tool recovery, and production-critical escalations.
• Improve equipment availability, MTBF, MTTR, maintenance compliance, repeat downtime, technician utilization, and manufacturing readiness.
• Partner with Equipment Engineering, Process Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Facilities, EHS, IT / Manufacturing Systems, Supply Chain, and vendors to resolve issues and reduce operational risk.
• Develop supervisors and technicians through coaching, performance management, training plans, succession planning, and leadership development.
• Establish and sustain maintenance standards, troubleshooting documentation, escalation procedures, shift pass-downs, equipment support metrics, and continuous improvement practices.
• Support equipment installation, startup, qualification, capacity expansion, factory ramp, new product introduction, and technology transfer activities.
• Use maintenance systems, manufacturing data, dashboards, SPC / FDC outputs, work-order information, and technician feedback to drive data-based decisions.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, urgency, ownership, teamwork, technical discipline, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Experience leading supervisors, leads, or frontline technical teams in semiconductor, electronics, cleanroom, precision manufacturing, or advanced manufacturing environments.
• Experience working in a quality-certified manufacturing organization with demonstrated adherence to quality systems, documentation, and change control processes.
• Experience supporting multi-shift or 24/7 manufacturing operations, including compressed day and night shifts.
• Strong knowledge of equipment troubleshooting, preventive and corrective maintenance, equipment recovery, qualification, reliability improvement, and manufacturing readiness.
• Experience with automated production tools, metrology, inspection, test, handlers, probers, robotics, motion control, vacuum, pneumatics, controls, sensors, electrical, chemical, thermal, laser, or electromechanical systems.
• Experience using CMMS, MES, SPC, FDC, dashboards, Power BI, Excel, SQL, JMP, Minitab, or similar manufacturing data tools.
• Experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, kaizen, standard work, structured problem solving, FMEA, CAPA, DOE, or reliability-centered maintenance methods.
• Working knowledge of EHS, lockout/tagout, electrical safety, chemical safety, machine safety, cleanroom protocols, quality systems, documentation control, change control, audits, deviations, and corrective actions.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, engineering technology, manufacturing, automation, electronics, materials science, applied science, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent technical leadership experience may be considered.

Preferred certifications include Lean Six Sigma, CMRP, OSHA safety training, electrical / electronic certification, PLC / controls training, robotics training, project management, or equivalent credentials.

Skills

• Cleanroom Operations
• Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)
• Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA)
• Corrective Maintenance
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Engineering Management
• Equipment Engineering
• Equipment Qualification
• Equipment Reliability Improvement
• Equipment Troubleshooting
• Escalation Management
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis FMEA
• Leadership
• Lean Manufacturing
• Manufacturing Analytics
• Manufacturing Equipment
• Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
• Performance Management (PM)
• Preventive Maintenance
• Production Ramp Up
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• Safety Compliance
• Semiconductor Manufacturing

Benefits

Benefits offered for this role include medical, dental, vision, EAP, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, flexible spending and savings accounts, 401(k), ESPP and paid time off.

Education & Experience

Minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years experience; or equivalent experience.