Senior PVD Process Development Lead – Thin Films

Ferrotec; Livermore (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401K Matching

Flexible Work Hours

Tuition Reimbursement

Leadership Development

Paid Time Off

Sick & Wellness

Job summary

Ferrotec Livermore seeks a Senior Process Development Manager to lead PVD deposition projects and support customer success. You will run sputtering and evaporation experiments, mentor a small team, and collaborate with Engineering and Sales to translate requirements into robust process solutions.

The role combines hands-on lab work with strategic leadership, requiring deep understanding of deposition physics, DOE/SPC methodologies, and experience delivering demonstrations and acceptance tests

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or related field.
• 10–15+ years hands-on experience in thin film deposition, specifically PVD (sputtering and/or evaporation).
• Proven ability to independently operate deposition systems and metrology tools.
• Strong understanding of process physics and ability to troubleshoot deposition issues at a fundamental level.
• Experience running experiments and analyzing results using DOE/SPC methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to work directly with customers in technical environments.
• Mechanical aptitude to adapt, configure, and troubleshoot equipment for demonstrations and experiments.
• Experience executing customer-facing work (e.g., demos, acceptance testing, process validation).

Responsibilities

• Independently operate PVD systems end-to-end, including system setup, execution, troubleshooting, and maintenance adjustments.
• Design, execute, and analyze thin film deposition experiments with minimal support.
• Develop deep process understanding, including how key variables impact film properties.
• Utilize DOE, SPC, and modeling approaches to optimize processes and troubleshoot issues.
• Operate and interpret metrology tools with full understanding of applicability and limitations.
• Lead customer demonstrations, including configuring systems, running processes, and adjusting hardware/software.
• Execute multi-day CAT tests and prove system performance against specifications.
• Serve as the primary technical interface for customer process development activities.
• Translate customer requirements into process solutions and guide specification tradeoffs.
• Provide onsite or remote customer support for process-related issues and field troubleshooting.
• Lead development of new or improved thin film deposition processes and equipment capabilities.
• Transfer developed processes into production and customer environments.
• Mentor a small team of scientists and engineers.
• Set priorities, ensure execution, and maintain team effectiveness.
• Act as a technical leader and escalation point for continuity and delivery.

Skills

PVD deposition

Sputtering

Evaporation

DOE/ SPC

Metrology tools

Team leadership

Modeling tools

Education

MS or PhD in Engineering/Physics/Materials Science

Tools

Profilometer

Ellipsometry

SEM

AFM

4-point probe

Job description

Ferrotec Livermore seeks a Senior Process Development Manager to lead PVD deposition projects and support customer success. You will run sputtering and evaporation experiments, mentor a small team, and collaborate with Engineering and Sales to translate requirements into robust process solutions.

The role combines hands-on lab work with strategic leadership, requiring deep understanding of deposition physics, DOE/SPC methodologies, and experience delivering demonstrations and acceptance tests