Principal SIMS Engineer – Materials & Failure Analysis

The Hiring Method, LLC; Town of Texas (WI); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

16% annual bonus

Long-term technical career growth

Job summary

The Hiring Method, LLC is seeking a Principal Materials & Failure Analysis Engineer (SIMS) to establish and operate a new SIMS lab supporting semiconductor manufacturing and R&D in a hybrid setting.

The role is hands-on and requires direct SIMS operation experience, with Dynamic SIMS preferred. You will work with Manufacturing, Epitaxy, Product Engineering, Quality, and R&D teams to solve complex materials problems and improve product reliability.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• At least 1 year of direct, hands-on SIMS experience is required.
• Experience operating SIMS instrumentation, not just interpreting results.
• Dynamic SIMS experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of materials characterization, analytical methods, and data interpretation.
• Experience supporting process development, qualification, or failure analysis.
• Ability to communicate analytical findings to multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on SIMS analysis and operate sophisticated analytical instrumentation.
• Help establish and launch a new SIMS laboratory and its equipment.
• Develop and optimize SIMS methods, workflows, and calibration procedures.
• Perform depth profiling, dopant analysis, contamination analysis, and other characterization.
• Interpret SIMS results and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Support failure analysis and root cause investigations using SIMS and other techniques.
• Collaborate with epitaxy, manufacturing, product engineering, quality, and R&D teams.
• Develop procedures and train technicians on equipment operation and workflows.

Skills

Hands-on SIMS operation

Analytical problem solving

Team communication

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science or related field

Tools

SIMS instrumentation

Dynamic SIMS

SEM, FIB, TEM, EDX, XPS

Job description

Work Setting

Hybrid schedule in Sherman, TX

Compensation

$120,000 – $145,000 base salary

Bonus

16% annual bonus paid each August based on company performance

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), employee stock purchase program, paid time off, and comprehensive employee benefits package

Relocation

Relocation assistance available

Work Authorization

Qualified candidates requiring a TN-1 visa or H-1B transfer are encouraged to apply. New H-1B sponsorship is not available for this opportunity.

Position Summary

A global leader in photonics and semiconductor technology is seeking a Principal Materials & Failure Analysis Engineer (SIMS) to help establish and operate a new Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry laboratory supporting advanced semiconductor manufacturing and R&D.

This is a highly hands‑on technical role. The successful candidate must have direct experience operating SIMS equipment, with Dynamic SIMS experience strongly preferred. This engineer will become a key technical resource for SIMS analysis while helping establish the laboratory, qualify equipment, develop analytical methods, and create reliable workflows for semiconductor materials characterization and failure analysis.

The role will work closely with Manufacturing, Epitaxy, Product Engineering, Quality, and R&D teams to solve complex materials problems and improve product performance, yield, and reliability.

What You’ll Do

• Perform hands‑on SIMS analysis and operate sophisticated analytical instrumentation supporting semiconductor materials characterization


• Help establish, qualify, and launch a new SIMS laboratory and its associated equipment


• Develop and optimize SIMS methods, workflows, calibration procedures, process qualifications, and operating standards


• Perform depth profiling, dopant analysis, contamination analysis, and other semiconductor materials characterization


• Interpret SIMS results and translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations for engineering and manufacturing teams


• Support failure analysis and root cause investigations using SIMS and complementary materials characterization techniques


• Partner with Epitaxy, Manufacturing, Product Engineering, Quality, R&D, Equipment Engineering, and Facilities teams


• Develop procedures, document analytical processes, and train technicians on equipment operation and laboratory workflows

What You Bring

• Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline


• At least 1 year of direct, hands‑on SIMS experience required


• Experience personally operating SIMS instrumentation, not solely interpreting SIMS results generated by another laboratory


• Dynamic SIMS experience strongly preferred


• Strong understanding of materials characterization, analytical methods, and data interpretation


• Experience supporting process development, process qualification, or failure analysis


• Strong technical problem‑solving skills with the ability to independently investigate complex materials issues


• Ability to communicate analytical findings effectively to multidisciplinary engineering and manufacturing teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Semiconductor, photonics, optoelectronics, or advanced materials industry experience


• Experience with complementary characterization techniques such as SEM, FIB, TEM, EDX, or XPS


• Background with epitaxy, MOCVD, MBE, thin films, or compound semiconductor materials


• Experience setting up, qualifying, maintaining, or developing methods for large analytical laboratory equipment


• Knowledge of DOE, SPC, JMP, regression analysis, or other statistical analysis methods


• Experience developing laboratory procedures and training technical personnel

Why This Opportunity

• Build hands‑on expertise around a new SIMS capability rather than inheriting a mature laboratory


• Serve as a key technical expert for SIMS and advanced materials characterization


• Work directly with sophisticated analytical equipment and influence how the laboratory operates


• High‑visibility role supporting Manufacturing, R&D, Epitaxy, Quality, and Product Engineering


• Opportunity to influence next‑generation semiconductor and photonics technologies


• Collaborative engineering environment focused on solving challenging technical problems


• Relocation assistance, 16% annual bonus opportunity, and long‑term technical career growth