Team Lead Manufacturing

Nearfield Instruments; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 holidays per year

8% holiday allowance

Commuting allowance

Shift allowance

Health insurance discount

Counselling & coaching for you and up

TEAM spirit: Together Everyone Achieve

Job summary

Nearfield Instruments is seeking a Team Lead Manufacturing to guide a 10-15 person Assembly, Integration & Testing team in our ISO 5 cleanroom and labs. You will oversee day-to-day operations, coach technicians, and report to the HWB Lead, taking on increasing leadership responsibilities within the Build team over time.

You will work in a two-shift on-site schedule, ensuring alignment with production plans, and contribute to continuous improvement of build processes while maintaining high

Qualifications

• Education in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Applied Physics or similar.
• 2-3 years of experience as a Shift Lead in a high-tech production environment.
• At least 5 years of experience in a high-tech production environment.
• Demonstrable hands-on mechanical or electrical knowledge.
• Demonstrable experience in people management: leading by example, coaching and supporting a team.
• Responsible for a team of 8-10 AIT engineers/technicians.
• Hard on content, soft on people: maintain high technical standards while creating a supportive team culture.
• Able to work in a 2-shift schedule (morning/evening) on-site.
• Experience in semiconductor or a comparable high-tech industry is a must.
• Professional command of English, both spoken and written.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate shifts, ensuring the team works safely, efficiently and in line with the production plan.
• Act as the first point of contact for AIT Technicians during your shift — supporting, coaching and motivating them in their daily work.
• Monitor team performance and individual wellbeing; be hard on content and soft on people.
• Signal and escalate planning issues, bottlenecks or technical risks in a timely manner.
• Ensure workplace safety, cleanliness and compliance with cleanroom standards at all times.
• Support onboarding and day-to-day development of team members.
• Collaborate closely with the HWB Lead and cross-functional colleagues in planning, quality and engineering.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of build processes, tools and ways of working.

Skills

People management

Team leadership

Shift lead experience

Mechanical knowledge

Electrical knowledge

English fluency

Education

Education in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Applied Physics

Job description

About Nearfield Instruments

Nearfield Instruments (NFI) is a fast-growing scale-up high-tech company. We design, develop, integrate, market and service advanced metrology machines. Our machines enables our customers - the world’s leading chipmakers – to increase the production yields, and thus, functionality of their microchips, which in turn leads to smaller, more powerful consumer electronics.

Founded in 2016, we bring together the most creative minds (approx. 550 employees) in science and technology and develop a one-of-a-kind, revolutionary high throughput Scanning Probe Microscopy system.

What will you be doing?

As a Team Lead Manufacturing, you will guide a team of 10-15 Assembly, Integration & Testing (AIT) Technicians working on our state-of-the-art semiconductor metrology systems in our ISO 5 cleanroom and laboratories. This is a shift-based role where you serve as the direct point of contact for your team on the floor, supporting day-to-day operations and people management. You will report to the HWB Lead and take on increasing leadership responsibilities within the Build team over time.

Main responsibilities include:

• Lead and coordinate shifts, ensuring the team works safely, efficiently and in line with the production plan.

• Act as the first point of contact for AIT Technicians during your shift — supporting, coaching and motivating them in their daily work.

• Monitor team performance and individual wellbeing; be hard on content and soft on people.

• Signal and escalating planning issues, bottlenecks or technical risks in a timely manner.

• Ensure workplace safety, cleanliness and compliance with cleanroom standards at all times.

• Support onboarding and day-to-day development of team members.

• Collaborate closely with the HWB Lead and cross-functional colleagues in planning, quality and engineering.

• Contribute to continuous improvement of build processes, tools and ways of working.

What do we expect from you?

Startups can offer incredible opportunities for growth, impact and learning, but they also move fast and require adaptability. You thrive in such an environment, where processes evolve quickly, priorities shift and improvement never stops. You are comfortable leading through change, solving practical problems, and motivating your team to deliver quality under pressure.

Furthermore, you recognize yourself in the following profile:

• Education in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Applied Physics or a similar technical field.

• 2-3 years of experience as a Shift Lead in a high-tech production environment.

• At least 5 years of experience in a high-tech production environment.

• Demonstrable hands‑on mechanical or electrical knowledge.

• Demonstrable experience in people management: leading by example, coaching and supporting a team.

• Responsible for a team of 8-10 AIT engineers/technicians.

• Hard on content, soft on people: you maintain high technical standards while creating a supportive team culture.

• Able to work in a 2-shift schedule (morning/evening) on‑site.

• Comfortable working in a cleanroom environment (experience is a plus, not a must).

• Experience in semiconductor or a comparable high‑tech industry is a must.

• Professional command of English, both spoken and written.

What can you expect from us?

Getting on board now is a great opportunity to grow with the company from a technical, personal, and financial perspective. Nearfield's momentum is energetic and promising!

Our starting point is of course to pay someone a fair and competitive salary and besides this we offer you:

• Valuation of your work‑life balance;

• Time for some relaxation: 30 holidays per calendar year (based on 40 hours);

• 8% holiday allowance;

• Commuting allowance;

• Shift allowance;

• Discount on your health insurance;

• Unlimited psychology, lifestyle and coaching for you and up to 3 family members or friends

• We are here to support one another, and colleagues are there to help you. TEAM is very important, Together Everyone Achieves More!

• Besides a challenging role where you can utilize the full extent of your professional knowledge.