IT Principal Technical Lead, AI & Automation

FormFactor Inc.; Kentucky; On-site; USD 156,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Life Insurance

Disability Coverage

401(k) with Match

ESPP

Paid Time Off

Bonuses / Profit Sharing

FSAs / Savings Accounts

Job summary

FormFactor, Inc. in Lexington, Kentucky, seeks an IT Principal Technical Lead, AI & Automation to lead AI initiatives across the enterprise, partnering with business and technology teams to identify opportunities and deliver production-ready solutions.

The role requires setting standards for scalable AI adoption, governance, and security, and mentoring staff to build organizational AI capabilities across Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and Sales.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 12 years with a Master’s; or a PhD with 8+ years’ experience.
• Experience leading AI, automation, analytics or digital transformation in a complex enterprise.
• Ability to translate business challenges into practical tech solutions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and drive enterprise AI strategy, standards, governance, and usage policies.
• Collaborate with leaders across multiple functions to identify high-value AI opportunities.
• Lead evaluation, selection, and lifecycle management of AI platforms and services.
• Deliver AI/automation solutions from concept to production with measurable value.
• Create reusable patterns and accelerators for rapid AI adoption.
• Ensure security, privacy, governance, and compliance for AI initiatives.
• Mentor staff and grow internal AI capabilities.

Skills

AI Concepts

AI Platforms

Business Solutions

AI Leadership

IT Governance

Functional Leadership

Communications

IT Solutions

Strategy Planning

Team Facilitation

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

PhD

Tools

Automation Tools

Data Platforms

Enterprise Applications

Governance Tools

Job description

Forming Our Future together

FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM), is a leading provider of essential test and measurement technologies along the full semiconductor product life cycle — from characterization, modeling, reliability, and design de-bug, to qualification and production test. Semiconductor companies rely upon FormFactor’s products and services to accelerate profitability by optimizing device performance and advancing yield knowledge. The company serves customers through its network of facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Rooted in our core values — Focus on the Customer, Ownership & Accountability, Respectfully & Effectively Communicate, and Motivate & Develop People — we foster an environment where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but celebrated. Everyone can make an impact here. Whether it's improving products, supporting customers, or positively influencing peers and the community, the contributions of our people matter.

Shift

The regular hours for this position are day shift.

Job Description

The IT Principal Technical Lead, AI & Automation is responsible for leading the evaluation, implementation, governance, and adoption of Artificial Intelligence and Automation capabilities across FormFactor. This role partners with business and technology teams to identify high-value opportunities, deliver production-ready solutions, and establish the standards and implementation patterns required for scalable enterprise adoption. Success requires balancing innovation with pragmatism and delivering measurable business outcomes through secure, scalable, and maintainable AI-enabled solution. FormFactor is seeking to establish and scale the practical application of Artificial Intelligence and Automation across the enterprise. This hands‑on technical leadership role is responsible for identifying high-value opportunities, implementing AI-enabled solutions, and creating the standards and governance required for safe, scalable adoption. Working closely with business and technology leaders, this individual will translate AI opportunities into measurable business outcomes. The role combines technical leadership, solution delivery, and adoption enablement to improve productivity, decision‑making, operational efficiency, and quality across Engineering, Design, Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and Sales.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and evolve the enterprise AI strategy, standards, governance frameworks, and usage policies to enable responsible, secure, and scalable adoption of AI technologies.
• Partner with business leaders across Design, Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and other functions to identify, evaluate, and prioritize high-value AI and automation opportunities.
• Lead the evaluation, selection, implementation, and lifecycle management of AI platforms, tools, and services, ensuring alignment with business objectives and enterprise technology standards.
• Drive the delivery of AI and automation solutions from concept through production, leading cross-functional teams to solve business problems and deliver measurable value.
• Establish repeatable implementation patterns, reusable templates, best practices, and accelerators that enable rapid and consistent AI adoption across the enterprise.
• Collaborate with enterprise application, data, infrastructure, and security teams to integrate AI capabilities into existing business processes, systems, and workflows.
• Ensure AI and automation solutions comply with enterprise security, privacy, data governance, legal, regulatory, and responsible AI requirements.
• Measure adoption, business impact, and operational effectiveness of AI initiatives, continuously refining priorities and approaches based on outcomes and feedback.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to business and IT leaders, helping stakeholders understand AI capabilities, limitations, risks, and appropriate use cases.
• Mentor technical staff and help build organizational AI capabilities through coaching, knowledge sharing, and development of internal best practices.

What Success Looks Like

• Business teams can adopt AI solutions quickly, safely, and consistently without reinventing the wheel.
• AI and automation deployments are secure, governed, and aligned with enterprise technology standards.
• IT is viewed as a trusted advisor and enabler of innovation rather than a gatekeeper.
• AI initiatives deliver measurable improvements in productivity, quality, decision‑making, or operational efficiency within the first year.
• Reusable patterns, governance frameworks, and implementation accelerators reduce the time required to deploy new AI solutions.

Ideal Background

• Experience leading or building AI, automation, analytics, or digital transformation capabilities within a complex enterprise environment.
• Strong technical understanding of modern AI platforms, copilots, agents, automation technologies, large language models, and implementation patterns.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business challenges into practical technology solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.
• Experience integrating AI solutions with enterprise applications, business processes, and data platforms.
• Experience working across business and technical teams, influencing stakeholders, and driving adoption of new capabilities.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous environments and building structure, standards, and processes where none currently exist.
• Practical and execution‑oriented mindset focused on business value, adoption, and delivery rather than technology hype.
• Strong communication, leadership, facilitation, and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Experience with enterprise applications, business process automation, data platforms, manufacturing systems, engineering systems, supply chain processes, or other operational business environments is highly desirable.

Skills

AI Concepts, AI Platforms, Business Solutions Development, Cross‑Functional AI Leadership, Enterprise IT Governance, Functional Leadership, Influential Communications, Information Technology (IT) Solutions, Strategic Communication Planning, Team Facilitation

Education & Experience

Minimum of 15 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 12 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 8 years experience; or equivalent experience| Required

Pay Range

$155,900.00 - $204,645.00

Pay Range Explained

This role in Lexington, Kentucky pays between $155,900.00 and $204,645.00 per year, depending on your experience, skills, and background. Pay may vary in other locations. We offer a full benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability coverage, a 401(k) with company match, employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), and paid time off. You’ll also be eligible for quarterly profit‑sharing bonuses and flexible spending or savings accounts.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

FormFactor is an equal opportunity employer. FormFactor complies with all national, state, and local laws that seek to promote equal opportunities for any applicant or employee without regard to age, race, color, gender, gender identity/expression, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, disability, marital status, pregnancy or related condition, military service, or any other legally protected characteristics. These protections apply to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotions, and compensation.

For roles that are designated as remote‑eligible, employees cannot be located in: AL, AK, AR, DE, GA, HI, IL, IA, LA, ME, MD, MS, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, ND, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, WV, WI, WY. This list is continuously evolving and being updated, please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list. A role is remote‑eligible only when it is listed as "Remote" in the job location.