KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world's leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow's electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.
With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA's metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The Broadband Plasma Division (BBP) provides market-leading patterned wafer optical inspection systems for leading-edge IC manufacturing. Logic, foundry, and memory customers depend on BBP products to detect yield-critical defects for process debug and excursion monitoring at advanced process nodes. BBP flagship products include the 29xx and 39xx series which leverage Broadband Plasma technology to capture a wide range of defects with ultimate sensitivity at the optical inspection speeds needed for inline defect monitoring.
Job Description/Preferred Qualifications
Job Description
- Lead and manage a team of highly technical applications development engineers, serving as their direct reporting manager.
- Partner with other Applications Managers to assess global applications resource needs and plan quarterly staffing and resourcing.
- Support the Marketing team on technical programs focused on inserting KLA products into customers advanced technology nodes.
- Collaborate closely with customers, Product Marketing, and Engineering to drive successful beta evaluations, early engagements, and new product introductions.
- Build and maintain strong customer relationships to understand technical challenges and translate them into actionable product solutions.
- Support the training team through weekly data reviews, ensuring newly onboarded applications engineers complete training on schedule and meet customer support standards.
Preferred Qualifications :
Prior experience in semiconductor technologies
Domain knowledge in logic, memory (DRAM / NAND), or advanced packaging process flows.
Previous people leadership experience, including mentoring, technical leadership, or direct people management
Experience operating in a global, matrixed organization with geographically distributed teams
Ability to influence technical direction through customer feedback, roadmap input, or feature definition
Minimum Qualifications
- Master's degree in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline
OR Bachelor's degree with additional relevant industry experience - 2+ years of experience in Applications Engineering, Process Engineering, Product Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical role in the semiconductor industry
- Hands‑on experience with semiconductor inspection, metrology, or process technology
- Demonstrated ability to support customer engagements, including tool evaluations, demos, problem resolution, or technology adoption
- Experience working cross‑functionally with R&D, product engineering, and manufacturing or customer‑facing teams
- Strong technical communication skills, with the ability to translate complex engineering concepts into customer‑relevant outcomes
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