Senior Electrical Engineering Manager

MKS Instruments; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 259,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

6 weeks parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

MKS Instruments is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineering Manager in Milpitas, CA to lead the development and sustaining of high‑speed optical detector and receiver products. You will steer a multi-disciplinary engineering team and partner across Product Management, Sales, and Customers to translate market needs into strategy and drive R&D programs from concept through production.

You will lead architecture decisions, supervise requirements definition, device design, packaging, and test

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in development of optical, optoelectronic, photonic, or high‑speed electronic products.
• 5+ years of engineering management experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven experience leading complex hardware programs with photodiodes/receivers.
• Strong understanding of high‑speed analog electronics, photodetectors, and system-level optimization.
• Experience balancing performance, manufacturability, reliability, cost, and schedule in commercial products.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a world-class engineering team for high-speed optical detector products.
• Drive roadmap for next-generation optical receivers, photodiodes, and related photonic solutions.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership across optics, electronics, packaging, and thermal management.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate market needs into product specs.
• Define schedules, manage resources, and mitigate risks to meet performance and cost goals.
• Coach, develop, and evaluate team members and foster organizational capability.

Skills

Leadership

Electrical Engineering

Optical Detectors

Photonic Systems

High-Speed Electronics

Requirements Definition

Roadmapping

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering

Job description

A Day in Your Life at MKS:

As a Senior Electrical Engineering Manager at MKS, you will provide technical and organizational leadership for the development and sustaining of high-speed optical detector and receiver products. You will partner with Product Management, Sales, Customers, and cross-functional engineering teams to translate market and customer needs into product strategies and successfully execute R&D programs from concept through production. In this role, you will report to the BU Engineering Director.

You Will Make an Impact By:

• Build and lead a world-class engineering team developing high-speed optical detector products and technologies from concept through volume production.
• Be a key member of the technical leadership team driving the roadmap for next-generation optical receivers, photodiodes, detector modules, and photonic measurement solutions.
• This is a hands-on technical leadership position requiring a deep understanding of optical, electrical, mechanical, and system-level design. You will lead and support engineering activities including requirements definition, device architecture, photodiode and receiver design, analog front-end electronics, packaging, optical coupling, thermal management, test development, characterization, qualification, reliability, manufacturability, cost optimization, and production transfer.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Product Management to deliver successful products.
• Plan and oversee your team's work across multiple concurrent development programs. Manage direct reports, establish objectives, provide coaching and mentorship, conduct performance reviews, support career development, and build organizational capability.
• Work closely with marketing, applications, systems engineering, and key customers to translate market requirements into product specifications and development priorities.
• Establish realistic schedules, identify technical and project risks, allocate resources effectively, and drive execution to meet product performance, quality, cost, and schedule objectives.

Travel Requirements: Up to 15 % of Travel is required.

Skills You Bring:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, Photonics, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of industry experience in development of optical, optoelectronic, photonic, or high‑speed electronic products.
• 5+ years of engineering management experience leading multidisciplinary product development teams.
• Proven experience leading complex hardware development programs involving photodiodes, optical receivers, photonic instrumentation, or related technologies.
• Strong understanding of high‑speed analog electronics, photodetectors, optical systems, signal integrity, and system‑level performance optimization.
• Experience balancing performance, manufacturability, reliability, cost, schedule, and product requirements in commercial product development.
• Demonstrated success bringing complex products from concept through qualification and production.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence across functions and build high‑performing teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with high‑speed photodiodes, optical receivers, or optical communication components.
• Experience with semiconductor detector technologies including InGaAs, Si, Ge, InP.
• Familiarity with optical packaging, fiber coupling, RF interconnects, and high‑frequency measurement techniques.
• Experience with characterization equipment such as VNAs, oscilloscopes, BER testers, optical spectrum analyzers, and laser sources.
• Knowledge of photonics manufacturing processes, supplier management, and product qualification.

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.

Compensation and Benefits:

Salary Pay Range: $155,250 to $258,750 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].

Benefits: MKS offers a comprehensive benefits package, including 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 and tuition reimbursement [and for participation in any stock programs, signing bonus, etc.].

MKS is an equal opportunity employer, in