Senior Principal Applications Engineer / Technical Lead

FormFactor Inc.; California (MO); On-site; USD 136,000 - 179,000; Full time

Job summary

FormFactor Inc. is seeking a Senior Principal Applications Engineer / Technical Lead to serve as a senior customer-facing technical leader for strategic semiconductor customers and advanced wafer probe solutions.

You will drive customer success through the lifecycle from early evaluation to long‑term production support and act as a technical authority across silicon photonics, CPO, AI/HPC, and related areas.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field; 8+ years experience.
• Experience in semiconductor test, capital equipment, wafer probe systems, or related areas.
• Proven success supporting strategic semiconductor customers in development and production.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic customer engagements from evaluation through qualification, production release and HVM ramp.
• Provide technical leadership across Applications, Engineering, Product Management, Service and Manufacturing.
• Mentor and coach Applications Engineers and cross‑functional teams.
• Establish best practices and drive knowledge sharing across global organizations.

Skills

ATE

Cross-Functional Leadership

Data Analytics

Decision Making

Escalation Management

Executive Communications

JSL

MATLAB

Mentorship

Probe Cards

Process Optimization

Python

RF Testing

RCA

Silicon Photonics

Strategic Thinking

Technical Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree; Master’s or PhD preferred

Tools

JMP/JSL

MATLAB

Python

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.

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

FormFactor is seeking a Senior Principal Applications Engineer / Technical Lead to serve as a senior customer-facing technical leader supporting strategic semiconductor customers and advanced wafer probe solutions.

This role is responsible for driving customer success across the entire customer lifecycle, from early technology evaluation through qualification, deployment, production release, High Volume Manufacturing (HVM), and long-term production support. The position is a key element of FormFactor's evolving Customer Solutions Team, focused on improving the end-to-end customer experience, increasing customer intimacy, and accelerating adoption of FormFactor technologies.

The successful candidate will be recognized as a technical authority in semiconductor test and characterization and will work closely with customers, Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, Service, and Sales to support advanced applications including Silicon Photonics (SiPh), Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), AI/HPC, Advanced Packaging, Memory, Foundry, Logic, RF, and High-Speed Digital technologies.

This individual must excel in highly complex and ambiguous situations, provide leadership during customer escalations, and independently drive cross-functional teams to resolution while serving as a trusted advisor to strategic customers.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Customer Leadership

• Serve as the primary technical advisor for strategic semiconductor customers.
• Build trusted relationships with customer engineering, manufacturing, operations, and executive teams.
• Lead customer engagements from evaluation through qualification, production release, and HVM ramp.
• Conduct on-site customer technical reviews, production readiness reviews, roadmap discussions, and executive briefings.
• Present FormFactor's technology roadmap, product capabilities, and application solutions to customers and industry stakeholders.
• Support product demonstrations, benchmarking activities, acceptance testing, and customer evaluations.
• Partner with customers to improve yield, throughput, measurement accuracy, and manufacturing productivity.
• Act as the senior technical escalation point for business‑critical customer issues.

Applications Engineering Leadership

• Develop and deploy advanced application methodologies for semiconductor probe and test solutions.
• Support electrical, parametric, RF, optical, photonics, and high-speed device characterization.
• Drive successful adoption of new products and advanced technologies.
• Develop technical documentation, application notes, best practices, and customer training materials.
• Analyze customer application challenges and recommend optimized solutions.
• Support beta evaluations, technology transfers, qualification programs, and production ramps.

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a recognized subject matter expert in semiconductor test, wafer probing, and device characterization.
• Lead complex root cause investigations involving product, process, applications, and manufacturing issues.
• Provide technical leadership across Applications, Engineering, Product Management, Service, and Manufacturing teams.
• Mentor and coach Applications Engineers and other technical team members.
• Establish best practices and drive knowledge sharing across global organizations.
• Influence technical direction and contribute to the development of future customer solutions.

Leadership in Ambiguous Environments

• Lead cross‑functional teams in highly dynamic and ambiguous situations where ownership, requirements, or technical direction may not be fully defined.
• Drive clarity, accountability, and execution during customer escalations and critical business situations.
• Balance customer requirements, business priorities, and technical constraints to achieve successful outcomes.
• Make sound technical and business decisions under pressure and with limited information.
• Create momentum and organizational alignment when addressing high‑impact customer challenges.

Product & Market Leadership

• Serve as the Voice of Customer to Product Management and Engineering organizations.
• Identify emerging technology trends and customer requirements.
• Influence product roadmaps through customer feedback and market insights.
• Support strategic growth initiatives in Silicon Photonics, Co-Packaged Optics, AI/HPC, Foundry, Memory, and Advanced Packaging markets.
• Assist Sales and Business Development teams with technical strategy and growth opportunities.

Preferred Qualifications & Experiences

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Experience in semiconductor test, semiconductor capital equipment, probe card technologies, wafer probe systems, device characterization, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success supporting strategic semiconductor customers in both development and production environments.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical engagements and customer escalations.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to communicate effectively at both engineering and executive levels.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Preferred Technical Experience

• Automated Test Equipment (ATE)
• Wafer Probe Systems
• Probe Cards
• Semiconductor Test
• Device Characterization
• Parametric Test
• Wafer Sort
• Production Test
• RF and Microwave Measurements
• High-Speed Digital Testing
• Signal Integrity
• Silicon Photonics
• Optical Characterization
• Co-Packaged Optics (CPO)
• Advanced Packaging
• Heterogeneous Integration
• Yield Improvement
• Product Qualification
• New Product Introduction (NPI)
• Failure Analysis
• High Volume Manufacturing (HVM)

Success Profile

The Senior Principal Applications Engineer / Technical Lead is a highly visible technical leader responsible for strengthening customer intimacy, improving the customer experience, accelerating technology adoption, and enabling successful production ramps at strategic semiconductor customers. Success in this role requires deep semiconductor test expertise, strong business acumen, exceptional customer‑facing capabilities, and the ability to lead organizations through complex and ambiguous situations. The individual will serve as a cornerstone of FormFactor’s Customer Solutions Team and will directly contribute to customer satisfaction, market share growth, and the successful expansion of FormFactor’s Silicon Photonics and advanced semiconductor business.

Skills

Automated Test Equipment (ATE), Automated Test Equipment (ATE), Business Acumen, Cross-Functional Leadership, Data Analytics, Decision Making, Escalation Management, Executive Communications, High Volume Manufacturing, JMP Scripting Language (JSL), MATLAB, Mentorship, Probe Cards, Process Optimization, Python (Programming Language), RF Testing, Risk Management, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Semiconductor Manufacturing, Semiconductor Testers, Signal Integrity, Silicon Photonics, Strategic Customer Management, Strategic Thinking, Technical Leadership {+ 1 more}

Education & Experience

Minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years experience; or equivalent experience| Required

Pay Range

$136,200.00 - $178,815.00

Pay Range Explained

This role in Livermore, California pays between $136,200.00 and $178,815.00 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.

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