Equipment Engineering Manager (Player-Coach)

Halo Agencies; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Halo Agencies is seeking an Equipment Engineering Manager (Player-Coach) to lead and scale our equipment engineering team on the factory floor in Santa Clara, CA. You will drive reliability, qualify new tools, and implement preventive maintenance while mentoring engineers and technicians.

You will serve as the on-floor escalation point for complex diagnostic work on electro‑mechanical, vacuum, and laser/optical systems, and collaborate across process, facilities, and executive teams to hit

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics Engineering or related field.
• Experience with semiconductor or advanced capital equipment engineering.
• Experience leading technical teams on the factory floor.

Responsibilities

• Lead and build the Equipment Engineering organization on the shop floor.
• Drive equipment reliability, troubleshoot complex tool issues, and qualify new equipment.
• Set up preventive/predictive maintenance systems from ground up.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for diagnostics on the floor (electro-mechanical, vacuum, laser/optical).
• Lead and mentor a team of Equipment Engineers and Technicians; foster safety and continuous improvement.
• Lead FAT/SAT/IQ/OQ/PQ and release of new or upgraded tools.
• Build PM, PdM, and spare parts systems to optimize OEE/MTBF/MTTR.
• Drive root cause analysis (8D, 5-Why, FMEA) for failures and yield loss.
• Collaborate with Process Engineering, Facilities, Manufacturing, and Exec Leadership.

Skills

Hands-on technical leadership

Electro-mechanical troubleshooting

Vacuum/Gas systems

Lean Manufacturing

8D/FMEA

SOP creation

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership / coaching

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Mechatronics Engineering

Tools

Wafer Grinding

CMP

PVD

Wet Benches

Metrology

Laser Processing equipment

Job description

• We are seeking an Equipment Engineering Manager (Player-Coach) to lead, build, and work alongside our Equipment Engineering organization
• As we scale volume manufacturing for our Stanford-backed laser slicing technology, this role requires a unique balance of strategic technical leadership and direct, hands-on execution
• You will not just manage from a desk—you will lead from the factory floor, driving equipment reliability, leading complex tool debugs, qualifying new equipment, and setting up preventive/predictive maintenance systems from the ground up
• Hands-On Technical Leadership: Serve as the technical escalation point for complex diagnostic, electro-mechanical, vacuum, precision motion, and laser/optical system troubleshooting on the floor
• Team Building & Coaching: Lead, mentor, and grow a team of Equipment Engineers and Technicians. Lead by example on the floor, fostering a culture of technical rigor, safety, and continuous improvement
• Tool Qualifications & Installs: Directly lead and execute Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), IQ/OQ/PQ, and release of new or upgraded manufacturing tools
• Maintenance & Reliability Infrastructure: Build preventive (PM), predictive (PdM), and spare parts management systems from scratch to optimize OEE, MTBF, and MTTR
• Root Cause Analysis: Drive structured problem solving (8D, 5-Why, FMEA) to solve recurring equipment failures and yield loss
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner directly with Process Engineering, Facilities, Manufacturing, and Executive Leadership to hit aggressive production milestones safely and cost-effectively

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Retirement plans
• Paid time off
• Professional development opportunities

Demonstrated expertise in reading schematics, debugging electro-mechanical systems, vacuum/gas systems, or automated processing tools on the shop floor

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics Engineering, or related discipline

7+ years of hands-on semiconductor or advanced capital equipment engineering experience

2+ years of technical team leadership, supervisory, or management experience (player-coach mindset essential)

We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities in STEM.

Experience in high-growth startup or pilot-to-volume manufacturing scale-up environments

Strong background in Lean Manufacturing, 8D/FMEA, and SOP creation

Hands-on experience with Wafer Grinding, CMP, PVD, Wet Benches, Metrology, or Laser Processing equipment