Hardware Applications Engineering Manager

Starz Advise Management Pte Ltd; Malacca City; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 156,000; Full time

Job summary

The client is a leading global provider of semiconductor equipment and technology solutions, seeking an experienced Hardware Applications Engineering Manager in Malaysia. You will lead Mechanical, Electrical, and Vision teams to deliver high-quality hardware solutions, oversee NPI, and manage customer-specific implementations.

Responsibilities include resource planning, risk management, and cross-functional collaboration to drive on-time delivery and continuous improvement, enabling growth and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, industrial, mechatronics, or related engineering.
• 10+ years in semiconductor equipment, ATE, or industrial automation engineering.
• 5+ years in engineering management or technical leadership roles.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and cross‑functional coordination.
• Experience with PO-driven project delivery, NPI, and retrofit/kit upgrades.

Responsibilities

• Lead Mechanical, Electrical, and Vision hardware teams to deliver customer-focused solutions.
• Own resource planning and engineering capacity across disciplines.
• Drive project execution, schedule adherence, and NPI readiness.
• Manage technical risks and escalations with timely resolutions.
• Collaborate with Product, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales and Service.
• Develop succession planning and build a scalable hardware org.
• Continuous improvement of engineering standards and processes.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional

Resource planning

Communication

Delivery excellence

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Mechatronics or related engineering

Job description

Our client is a leading global provider of advanced semiconductor equipment and technology solutions, supporting many of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers and outsourced assembly and test (OSAT) companies.

The company develops and manufactures innovative solutions across semiconductor test, automation, inspection, and precision engineering, helping customers improve product quality, manufacturing efficiency, and operational performance. With operations spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, it serves a diverse customer base across automotive, artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing, consumer electronics, industrial, medical, communications, and other advanced technology markets.

As part of its continued global growth, our client is seeking experienced engineering leaders who are passionate about innovation, operational excellence, and developing high-performing teams.

Position Summary:

The Hardware Applications Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the Mechanical, Electrical, and Vision Applications Engineering teams to deliver high-quality, customer-focused hardware solutions. This role oversees technical execution, resource planning, new product introduction (NPI), and customer-specific implementation programs, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and to the highest engineering standards. The incumbent collaborates closely with cross-functional teams, drives continuous improvement initiatives, manages technical risks, and develops a high-performing engineering organisation that supports business growth, operational excellence, and long-term succession planning.

Key responsibilities

Technical Expertise

• Ensure hardware application work complies with system architecture guidance set by Systems Architecture, applying sound engineering judgment within that framework across Mechanical, Electrical, and Vision disciplines.
• Lead and participate in Request for Proposal and design reviews to ensure engineering standards, reliability, and quality are met across hardware application programs.
• Own technical risk management for hardware programs, including retrofit, kit-upgrade, and customer-specific configurations.
• Ensure mechanical, electrical, and vision hardware subsystems come together reliably as a single, unified customer solution.

Execution and Delivery

• Own resource planning and engineering capacity management across Mechanical, Electrical, and Vision to meet PO-driven project commitments.
• Drive schedule adherence and execution oversight for hardware retrofit, kit, and customer-specific implementation programs.
• Own NPI and production readiness for hardware application programs, ensuring designs transition cleanly from development to deployment.
• Provide direct support for customer escalations, ensuring timely technical and operational resolution.

Communication and Collaboration

• Act as the primary interface between Applications Engineering and Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, and Service.
• Represent Applications Engineering in customer-facing discussions, technical reviews, and program updates.
• Partner with Software Applications counterparts, at any level, to ensure hardware and software workstreams stay aligned on shared customer programs.
• Communicate program status, risks, and resource needs clearly to the Applications Engineering Manager and other stakeholders.

Leadership and Strategy

• Hire, mentor, and coach engineers across Mechanical, Electrical, and Vision hardware disciplines; build succession depth and organizational capability.
• Develop team skills and career paths for individual contributors (Engineer through Senior Staff Engineer) within Hardware Appli-cations Engineering.
• Set direction and priorities for the hardware applications organization in alignment with business goals and the Applications Engi-neering Manager's strategy.
• Build a scalable organization structure and ways of working that support future growth and succession planning without adding management layers prematurely.
• Drive continuous improvement of engineering standards, design rules, and processes across hardware disciplines.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for hardware-related quality, delivery, and field issues.
• Champion design standardization and knowledge management to reduce rework and improve reuse across customer programs.
• Identify and implement process and tooling improvements that increase hardware engineering productivity and predictability.

Requirement And Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline; an advanced degree or technical program management credential (e.g., PMP) is a plus.
• 10+ years of engineering experience in semiconductor equipment, ATE, or industrial automation, with significant experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• 5+ years in an engineering management or technical leadership role, with a proven record of leading teams across more than one engineering discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in customer-facing execution, resource and capacity management, and cross-functional coordination across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain.
• Experience with PO-driven project delivery, NPI, and retrofit/kit-upgrade programs.
• Suitable backgrounds may include Applications Engineering Manager, Systems Engineering Manager, Engineering Manager, Product Engineering Manager, Technical Program Manager, or a Mechanical/Electrical Engineering Manager with demon-strated multidisciplinary leadership experience; depth of hands-on mechanical design expertise alone is not a substitute for cross-disciplinary leadership experience.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate as a solution owner for hardware application delivery.
• Willing to travel as required to support customer and program needs.

Salary: RM9,000 to RM14,000 per month

We regret to inform that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted