Principal Equipment Engineer

About the role

Diamond Foundry Inc. is solving the thermal limitation at the foundation of today's most exciting tech industries — AI & cloud compute, electric-car power electronics, and 5G/6G wireless. We have produced the world's first single-crystal diamond wafers and are on a mission to put a diamond behind every chip. As a hands-on Principal Equipment Engineer, you will take absolute technical ownership of back-end production equipment across its entire lifecycle (specification, qualification, sustaining, and reliability). Reporting to the Manager of Equipment Engineering and Maintenance, you will operate with complete autonomy to diagnose failures, design out engineering risks, and ensure maximum tool availability on our manufacturing floor.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Tool Ownership: Manage an assigned section of back-end process tools (laser, cleaning, thermal, metrology, and material handling) to optimize tool availability, capability, and total cost of ownership.
• Advanced Troubleshooting: Serve as the final escalation point for complex electro-mechanical failures, using structured root-cause methods (8D, 5-Why) to improve MTBF and MTTR metrics under SEMI E10 standards.
• CapEx & Site Transfers: Author equipment specifications, evaluate vendors, execute FAT/SAT, and manage the technical documentation required to package and transfer equipment setups to international sites.
• Engineering & Safety Standards: Establish robust standards for PM plans, CMMS assets, ECNs, and ISO 9001 compliance. Enforce rigorous engineering controls for Class IV lasers, chemical hazards, and high-temperature systems.
• Mentorship & Support: Act as a technical resource for maintenance technicians and mentor junior equipment engineers through design reviews, troubleshooting sessions, and technical documentation audits.

Requirements

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, or Manufacturing Engineering with 10+ years of hands-on equipment ownership in a high-volume semiconductor, advanced materials, or high-precision manufacturing environment.
• Technical Depth: Mastery of electro-mechanical systems (motion control, PLC/HMI, pneumatics, vacuum, fluid delivery). Strong preference for experience with Class IV lasers, CMP/polishing, or robotic work cells.
• Data-Driven Analysis: Track record of moving OEE, MTBF, and MTTR metrics with evidence rather than opinion. Experience with data analysis tools beyond spreadsheets (Python, JMP, SQL) is a plus.
• Safety & Compliance: Practical experience applying machine safety codes (LOTO, NFPA 79, CE/UL, SEMI S2). Proficiency with 3D CAD (SolidWorks), PLM (Teamcenter), and CMMS frameworks.
• Autonomy & Leadership: Proven history of operating independently as a principal contributor, managing competing priorities without close supervision, and aligning cross-functional teams without direct positional authority.

Pay

$150,000 - $180,000 a year

Benefits

• Health insurance, flexible spending accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs.
• Paid and unpaid time away from work.
• Employee discounts to VRAI.
• Benefits begin as early as your first day of employment; medical and vision coverage are retroactive to your start date, while dental and voluntary benefits take effect upon enrollment.

Physical Requirements

• Use appropriate PPE and follow all safety policies, practices, and procedures.
• Frequently sit, stand for long periods, walk, grasp, reach with hands and arms, lift below and above shoulders, bend, twist at the waist, climb, balance, stoop, squat, kneel, crawl, talk, hear, see, use fine finger manipulation, and complete repetitive motions.
• Some tasks may require the use of ladders or stairs, driving, or the use of foot controls.
• Lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 pounds.