Director Production Engineering

Lam Research; Fremont (CA); Hybrid; USD 168,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Lam Research in California seeks an experienced engineering leader to drive robotic system development. This role requires interfacing with various teams and managing technical activities across hardware and software.

Responsibilities include overseeing product development from design to delivery, ensuring reliability and performance standards, and communicating with executive leadership. Candidates must possess an engineering degree and extensive experience in automation and robotics.

The position offers a base salary between $168,000 and $350,000 based on experience.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Engineering.
• 15+ years of relevant experience or equivalent.
• 8+ years of management experience including leading Engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Directs technical activities for hardware and software development.
• Owns end-to-end engineering execution for production robotic systems.
• Communicates effectively with executive leadership on product health.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project Management

Robotics

Mechatronics

Python

SQL

Machine Learning

Robotics/Automation Systems

Education

Engineering degree in Robotics, Mechatronics, or Systems Engineering

Tools

MCAD tools (Siemens NX, Creo, SolidWorks)

Job description

Overview

The Group you’ll be a part of focuses on enabling our customers with premier customer support throughout their lifecycle with Lam. We drive performance, productivity, safety, and quality of customers installed base performance and deliver service and lifecycle solutions for their most critical equipment and processes.

The impact you’ll make

Responsibilities may include a combination of the following:

• Hardware Development: Directs, leads, and manages the technical activities of a hardware development function for electronic design, mechanical design and/or hardware reliability.
• Software Development: Directs, leads, and manages the technical activities of a software development function for software systems, applications and/or software quality assurance.
• Systems Design: Directs, leads, and manages the technical activities of an integrated hardware/software systems design function.

What You’ll Do

Engineering Scope & Accountability: Engineering leader capable of interfacing with Product Management, Program Management, Pilot Operations, Supply Chain, and the customer‑facing Dextro™ robotic and automation products to Lam’s customers. Reports to Engineering CVP in CSBG. Design, lead, and manage Dextro™ Production Engineering from Alpha builds through customer shipments and field sustainment. Works closely with Dextro™ R&D Engineering and Dextro Operations to ensure rapid product development, industrialization, and release using Lam’s PDR scalable framework, with accountability for quality, reliability, and repeatability in the field.

Program Execution & Delivery

Own end‑to‑end engineering execution for production robotic systems. Review and approve Vision Documents, MRS, system architectures, engineering concepts, detailed designs, and final product solutions. Translate product requirements into executable engineering plans with clear achievable schedules, resource allocations, dependencies, and technical ownership. Identify system‑level, design, lab, supplier, and execution risks. Develop mitigation strategies to ensure functional capability, reliability growth, and production readiness. Utilize Program Management rigor to track progress, manage changes, resolve tradeoffs, and ensure all engineering documentation meets Lam PDR and release requirements. Organize, lead, and facilitate direct reports and cross‑functional teams to execute new Dextro™ product programs under Lam production product constraints.

Engineering Ownership, Quality & Reliability

Serve as engineering owner of system‑level product behavior, including theory‑of‑operation, interfaces, failure modes, serviceability, and lifecycle performance. Address gaps highlighted in annual ORG Audits by enforcing strong engineering discipline within production engineering teams. Ensure CAD quality, design consistency, documentation completeness, and test coverage meet expectations for customer‑released products. Lead root‑cause analysis and corrective actions for T3 field issues and escalations, ensuring learnings are engineered back into the product design and future releases.

Metrics, Reporting & Analytics

Develop and maintain established engineering metrics tied to product readiness, design quality, cycle time, reliability, and execution stability. Use data to identify recurring inefficiencies across design, validation, lab usage, and release workflows. Partner with CSBG Engineering operations to drive continuous improvement, automation, and transparency in execution. Utilize analytical techniques to provide actionable, fact‑based insights and recommendations to senior management on product health, risks, and improvement opportunities.

Leadership Communication

Communicate effectively with executive leadership and functional partners across CSBG, Product Groups, and Operations. Present complex robotic system topics clearly and concisely to support decisions on customer commitments, roadmap timing, investment tradeoffs, and scale‑up readiness. Build trusted relationships that enable fast alignment and decisive execution across a highly matrixed organization.

People & Cross‑Functional Leadership

Lead, coach, and develop multidisciplinary engineering teams spanning mechanical, electrical, controls, software, computer vision, and systems engineering. Set clear goals, ownership expectations, and performance standards aligned to product delivery and field outcomes. Foster collaboration, inclusion, and shared accountability across global and offshore teams. Build organizational capability, effectiveness, and bench strength through deliberate talent development, role clarity, and succession planning to support sustained Dextro™ growth.

Who We’re Looking For

• Excellent leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Must have an Engineering degree or foreign equivalent in Robotics, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or a related field and 10+ years of experience in Engineering.
• 15+ years of relevant experience; or 12 years with a Master’s degree; or 8 years with a PhD.
• Must have 8+ years of management experience, including 5+ years leading Engineering teams to design/build Robotic/Automation related products or systems.
• Must have 3+ years of experience working in the semiconductor industry on global programs or projects.
• Must have 3+ years of experience working with technology companies for new product development.
• Strong background in physical AI, robotics, automation, and algorithm development.
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, OpenCV, and machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch a major benefit.
• Experience with MCAD tools (e.g., Siemens NX, Creo, SolidWorks).
• Ability to work onsite in a robotics lab environment and lead cross‑functional initiatives.
• International travel required up to 10%.

Our Commitment

We believe it is important for every person to feel valued, included, and empowered to achieve their full potential. By bringing unique individuals and viewpoints together, we achieve extraordinary results.

Employment Equal Opportunity Statement

Lam Research (“Lam” or the “Company”) is an equal opportunity employer. Lam is committed to and reaffirms support of equal opportunity in employment and non‑discrimination… (legal statement continues without further tags).

Work Location Models

Lam offers a variety of work location models based on the needs of each role. Our hybrid roles combine the benefits of on‑site collaboration with colleagues and the flexibility to work remotely and fall into two categories – On‑site Flex and Virtual Flex. ‘On‑site Flex’ you’ll work 3+ days per week on‑site at a Lam or customer/supplier location, with the opportunity to work remotely for the balance of the week. ‘Virtual Flex’ you’ll work 1-2 days per week on‑site at a Lam or customer/supplier location, and remotely the rest of the time.

Salary

CA San Francisco Bay Area Salary Range for this position: $168,000.00 - $350,000.00.

The above salary range for this position is relevant to applicants that reside or work onsite in the California, San Francisco Bay Area only. Salary offers will depend on factors that include the location you work from, your level, education, training, specific skills, years of experience and comparison to other employees already in this role. Actual salary may vary from salary offered due to numerous factors including but not limited to unpaid time off, unpaid leave, company mandated shutdown, and other relevant factors.

Our Perks And Benefits

At Lam, our people make amazing things possible. That’s why we invest in you throughout the phases of your life with a comprehensive set of outstanding benefits.