Product Line Specialist

MKS Instruments, Inc.; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance coverage

401(k) with company match

Life and disability insurance

12 paid holidays

15 paid vacation days

Parental leave

Job summary

MKS Instruments, Inc. in Irvine is seeking a Product Line Specialist to support the Product Line Management team by coordinating customer programs and cross-functional execution. You will help translate customer requirements into actionable project plans and track milestones across engineering, operations, supply chain, and quality.

This role offers growth toward Product Line Manager responsibilities. The ideal candidate will have a degree or equivalent experience, strong communication skills,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, 2+ years of related experience
• Optical or opto-mechanical background suitable for customer discussions
• Desire to develop into Product Line Manager with increasing responsibility
• Proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, and MS Project
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and facilitate execution of customer programs across engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, and commercial teams
• Track project status, identify risks, and support on-time execution of commitments
• Create project status reports, executive summaries, and customer presentations
• Present updates to customers and internal leadership with progress, risks, and next steps
• Maintain project documentation, minutes, and action logs for visibility

Job description

A Day in Your Life at MKS: The Product Line Specialist supports the Product Line Management team by coordinating customer programs, facilitating cross-functional execution, and ensuring timely communication of project status. This role is designed for individuals seeking to develop the skills and experience necessary to progress into a Product Line Manager position. Success in this role requires strong organizational skills, the ability to manage multiple priorities, effective communication, and collaboration across engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, and commercial teams.

You Will Make an Impact By

• Support the execution of customer projects from opportunity identification through delivery by coordinating activities across multiple functional teams.
• Work closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Program Management to track project status, identify risks, and support on-time execution of customer commitments.
• Manage project action item lists, maintain accountability across stakeholders, and ensure timely follow-up on key deliverables.
• Coordinate and facilitate project review meetings, customer status calls, and internal cross-functional discussions.
• Create project status reports, executive summaries, customer presentations, and program review materials.
• Present project updates to customers and internal leadership teams, clearly communicating progress, risks, mitigation plans, and next steps.
• Support customer communications by gathering information, preparing updates, and ensuring alignment across internal teams.
• Assist in tracking product development milestones, qualification activities, manufacturing readiness, and customer deliverables.
• Collaborate with Product Line Managers to understand customer requirements and assist in translating those requirements into actionable project plans.
• Monitor project schedules and support forecast updates under the guidance of Product Line Managers and business leadership.
• Support new business opportunities by coordinating proposal development, presentation preparation, and customer-facing materials.
• Maintain project documentation, meeting minutes, action logs, and program records to ensure visibility and organizational alignment.
• Develop a broad understanding of company products, technologies, customer applications, and industry trends to prepare for future Product Line Management responsibilities.
• Because this position involves the above material job duties, trustworthiness, reliability, and good judgment also are material job duties.
• In addition to the above responsibilities, the following are considered material job duties of the position:
• Ability to take and follow directions and instructions.
• Ability to interact with other employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, or the public, in a safe, professional, and respectful manner.
• Access to sensitive and confidential business systems and software, personally identifying information, the company’s financial information, and/or the ability to maintain physical security and safety.

Skills You Bring

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience 2+ years of related experience - may consider relevant MS or PhD education as part of experience
• Optical or opto-mechanical background that will enable meaningful discussions with customers and internal technical teams.
• Desire to develop into a Product Line Manager role with increasing responsibility for customer engagement, strategy, and business leadership.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, and MS Project Other project management tools.
• Feels confident in Excel to track, get answers from others, outcome Customer facing – quality team, speak with customer about 8Ds, Other: Strong organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Ability to coordinate activities across multiple functions and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong follow-through and attention to detail.
• Ability to lead meetings, document actions, and drive closure of assigned tasks.
• Customer-facing communication and relationship-building skills.
• Project coordination and program tracking experience.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

Ability to work in office, lab, and customer environments. Occasional travel required (domestic and/or international). Ability to sit, stand, and use a computer for extended periods. May require participation in on-site customer meetings and technical reviews. We are interested in a qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we will not be sponsoring work visas for this position, at this time.

MKS is an equal opportunity employer, including disability, veteran status and all categories protected by law. Please review our EOE statements for additional details. MKS is generally only hiring candidates who reside in states where we are registered to do business. MKS will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act and the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers. #LI-DJ1

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process due to a disability, please contact us at: [e-mail] . If applying for a specific job, please include the requisition number (ex: RXXXX), the title and location of the role

Compensation and Benefits

Salary Pay Range: $90,000 to $108,000 per year. This range is a good faith estimate of the expected salary range for this position, based on a wide range of factors including qualifications, experience and training, operational and business needs and other considerations permitted by law. At MKS, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role.

Bonus: This position is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, in an amount to be determined by MKS [or as applicable].

• health insurance coverage (medical, dental and vision)
• 401(k) with company match
• life and disability insurance
• 12 paid holidays
• sick time
• 15 paid vacation days
• [6 weeks fully paid] parental leave
• adoption assistance
• tuition reimbursement
• [and for participation in any stock programs, signing bonus, etc.].

Globally, our policy is to recruit individuals from wide and diverse backgrounds. However, certain positions require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants for these positions may need to be “U.S. persons.” “U.S. persons” are generally defined as U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, lawful permanent residents (or, greencardholders), individuals granted asylum, and individuals admitted as refugees. MKS Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“MKS”) is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer: diverse candidates are encouraged to apply. We winas a team and are committed to recruiting and hiring qualified applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, sex(including pregnancy and pregnancy-relatedconditions), religion, age, ancestry, physical or mental disability or handicap, maritalstatus, membership in the uniformed services, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law. Hiring decisions are based on merit, qualifications and business needs. We conduct background checks and drug screens, in accordance with applicable law and company policies. MKS is generally only hiringcandidateswho reside in states where we are registered to do business. MKS is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals withdisabilities.

AtMKS, it’s all about courage, big ideas, and a serious passion for innovation. Winninghereisabout exploring possibilities, taking action, and solving our customers’ toughest challenges. It’s notjusta job–it’swhatyoumakeofit. While you shape yourroleandmake it unique, we investinyou with on-the-job and formal training, as well as educational assistance. Curiosityiskey atMKS–askquestions,ownyourpath. Our success comes from celebrating the unique skills, diverse perspectives, and lived experience of employees from over 100countries. The goal is to make sure that everyone feels that they belong. Diversityisnotjusta nice-to-have; makingsure everyone feels included is a big deal for us.

Our group of ~10,000 employees serves semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial markets. With over 3,800 patents, ourproductsare enabling advancements in 5G, renewable energy & storage, artificial intelligence, cloud technology, and big data. We’rethe behind-the-scenes support for some amazing technology. MKS Inc., enables technologies that transform our world.

MKSInc, Product Overview