Senior Principal Applications Engineer / Technical Lead

FormFactor, Inc.; Livermore (CA); Remote; USD 136,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental benefits

401(k) with company match

Employee stock purchase plan

Paid time off

Job summary

FormFactor, Inc. is seeking a Senior Principal Applications Engineer / Technical Lead in Livermore, CA (remote options) to guide strategic customers through evaluation, qualification, and ramp stages.

You will drive cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Product, Service, and Sales to optimize wafer probe solutions and high-speed testing. The role requires deep semiconductor test knowledge, strong communication skills at engineering and executive levels, and the ability to lead in

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (or related field) required.
• Experience in semiconductor test, probe cards, wafer probing, and device characterization.
• Strong leadership in complex customer engagements and escalations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary technical advisor for strategic semiconductor customers.
• Lead customer engagements from evaluation through qualification and production ramp.
• Develop and deploy advanced application methodologies for probe and test solutions.
• Mentor Applications Engineers and drive knowledge sharing across teams.

Skills

Strategic customer management

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Root cause analysis

Silicon photonics knowledge

High-speed digital testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Master’s degree in related field

PhD with 3 years experience

Tools

MATLAB

Python

JSL ( JMP scripting )

MATLAB

Probe Cards

Wafer Probe Systems

Job description

## Senior Principal Applications Engineer / Technical LeadApply: Livermore, CA: Remote, CA: Full time: Posted Today: JR101097**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.