Product Line Manager

Applied Materials; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Supportive work culture

Opportunities for learning and development

Job summary

Applied Materials is looking for an experienced Product Line Management professional in Santa Clara, CA. This role focuses on leading product life cycle management for the CMP Service Business Unit, sustaining product availability, and enabling revenue growth through effective obsolescence management.

The successful candidate will collaborate with cross-functional teams to execute product changes and develop strategies that drive cost-effective lifecycle management. A strong engineering background and significant industry experience are required.

Qualifications

• Direct experience with CMP tools and semiconductor capital equipment.
• Strong analytical skills for assessing obsolescence risk.
• Ability to influence across engineering, operations, and supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Own Product Change Management for assigned CMP platforms.
• Lead obsolescence strategy including part monitoring and risk assessment.
• Develop and execute a Tool Lifetime Management Program.

Skills

CMP Tool Knowledge & Industry Experience

Project Management

Data Analytics & Data-Driven Decision Making

Electrical or Mechanical Engineering Background

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Who We Are

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting‑edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips – the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world – like AI and IoT. If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next‑generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world.

What We Offer

Salary: $163,000.00 – $224,000.00

Location: Santa Clara, CA

We’ll benefit you with a supportive work culture that encourages learning, development and growth. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible while learning every day in a supportive, leading global company. Our comprehensive benefits package supports the health and wellbeing of our employees, both at work and at home.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Product Line Management professional to lead obsolescence management, product life cycle management (PLCM) and Product Change Management (PCM) for the CMP Service Business Unit. This role is critical to sustaining product availability, extending tool lifetime and enabling revenue growth through structured Tool Lifetime Management programs. The successful candidate will work cross‑functionally with Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Global Product Support and Suppliers to ensure effective execution of product changes, obsolescence mitigation and cost‑effective lifecycle strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end‑to‑end Product Change Management (PCM) for assigned CMP platforms, modules and component families.
  • ECO (Engineering Change Order) approval and control
  • Unreleased product approval and configuration control
  • PCN (Part Change Notification) implementation in partnership with Global Product Support
• Provide guidance to Engineering and Business stakeholders on field‐service, customer and operational impact of part and supplier changes.
• Lead manufacturing strategies across customers, fabs and process nodes.
• Own obsolescence strategy including:
  • Part obsolescence monitoring and risk assessment
  • Replacement strategies, alternate vendors and end‑of‑life extensions
  • Last‑time‑buy evaluation and inventory risk mitigation
• Partner with Supply Chain and Supplier Account Teams to ensure supplier compliance with EOL notifications.
• Drive component and common module roadmaps post Phase 5 of ePLC.
• Manage strategic vendor issues impacting product continuity and cost.
• Develop and execute a Tool Lifetime Management Program to extend installed base life and grow service revenue.
• Identify opportunities for upgrades, refreshes and cost‑reduction initiatives aligned with customer lifecycle needs.
• Implement cost‑reduction roadmaps without compromising reliability or serviceability.
• Ensure accuracy of customer‑shipped configurations and BOMs:
  • Lead Configuration Accuracy Review Meetings (CaRM)
  • Oversee BOM accuracy and Non‑Standard Request (NSR) approvals
• Use data‑driven analysis to support product decisions, prioritization and business cases.
• Lead cross‑functional execution of programs to meet division goals for quality, cost, delivery and revenue.
• Coordinate inter‑company alignment on product strategy, marketing strategy, pricing guidance, spare strategies and roadmap proliferation.
• Ensure projects meet defined objectives, timelines and product/process requirements.
• Support business continuity planning and crisis management at the division level.

Required Qualifications (4 Key Pillars)

• CMP Tool Knowledge & Industry Experience
  • Direct experience with CMP tools, subsystems or service environments.
  • Strong understanding of semiconductor capital equipment lifecycle, installed base support and customer fabs.
  • Experience with obsolescence challenges in long‑lived semiconductor platforms.
• Project Management & Business Acumen
  • Proven ability to lead complex, cross‑functional programs from concept to execution.
  • Strong business judgment with experience balancing customer impact, cost, risk and revenue.
  • Ability to prioritize portfolios and align budgets with strategic objectives.
• Data Analytics & Data‑Driven Decision Making
  • Strong analytical skills to assess obsolescence risk, lifecycle trends, cost models, support runway, last‑time‑buy and revenue opportunities.
  • Experience leveraging data to drive roadmap decisions, supplier strategies and investment prioritization.
  • Comfortable working with BOM data, spare usage inventory data and supply‑chain analytics.
• Electrical or Mechanical Engineering Background
  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or an equivalent technical discipline.
  • Solid technical foundation enabling effective collaboration with hardware, controls and software teams.
  • Ability to understand design intent, qualification requirements and field impact of product changes.
  • 7+ years in semiconductor equipment experience.

Preferred Skills & Attributes

• Experience working with ECO/PCM systems and formal change control processes.
• Familiarity with controls, electrical assemblies or electromechanical subsystems.
• Strong communication skills – able to influence across engineering, operations, supply chain and leadership.
• Self‑starter with a continuous improvement mindset and passion for long‑term product stewardship.

Experience/Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in an engineering or related discipline (Master's preferred); additional business qualifications are a plus.
• 10+ years of experience in semiconductor equipment and/or services, CMP preferred.
• Strong presentation and communication skills emphasizing the ability to condense complicated topics into a clear, concise message.
• Proven track record of successful completion of complex programs and/or product releases.
• Adept at leading functional teams in projects with high resource requirements, risk and complexity.
• Comfortable with challenging and holding self and team members accountable.
• Ability to influence and capture mindshare of stakeholders to support task, project or program outcomes.
• Well organized, especially when tracking commitments and communicating via Gantt charts, timelines and other organizational tools.
• Works independently, with minimal guidance.

Additional Information

• Time Type: Full time
• Employee Type: Assignee / Regular
• Travel: Yes – 20% of the time
• Relocation Eligible: Yes

The salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job‑related knowledge, skills, experience and consideration of internal equity. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable. For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the Target Total Cash (TTC) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target bonus amount at 100% goal achievement.

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

In addition, Applied endeavors to make our careers site accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us via e‑mail at [e-mail], or by calling our HR Direct Help Line at 877‑612‑7547, option 1, and following the prompts to speak to an HR Advisor. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.