Staff Surface Process Engineer / Surface Chemist

San Diego Stealth Startup; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

San Diego Stealth Startup is seeking a Staff Surface Process Engineer / Surface Chemist in San Diego, CA. This full-time role develops and scales surface chemistry processes, including cleaning, coating, and surface functionalization, with hands-on lab work and cross-functional collaboration.

The ideal candidate has advanced degree and extensive experience in surface processing, vapor-phase deposition, plasma cleaning, and robust manufacturing transfer, enabling high yield and repeatability in a

Qualifications

• M.S. with 8+ years or Ph.D. with 4+ years in a related field.
• Expertise in surface processing and process development.
• Experience with coating, plasma cleaning, CMP, vapor-phase deposition, and wet cleaning.

Responsibilities

• Develop surface processing methods: cleaning, deposition, coating, curing, QC.
• Scale vapor-phase deposition processes with emphasis on uniformity and manufacturability.
• Lead development, qualification, and troubleshooting of plasma cleaning processes.
• Specify and optimize process equipment and automation for manufacturing transfer.
• Establish process windows, parameters, and SPC controls.
• Design and execute DOE to optimize surface performance.
• Characterize surfaces using ellipsometry, contact angle, AFM, SEM, XPS.
• Translate lab processes into scalable, high-yield manufacturing methods.
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers.

Skills

Surface processing

Process development

DOE

Statistical analysis (JMP, Python, R)

Surface characterization (ellipsometry

XPS/SEM/AFM

Education

M.S. (+8 years industrial) or Ph.D. (+4 years) in Mechanical Engineering/ Chemistry/ Chemical Engineering/ Materials Science/ Biomedical Engineering

Tools

JMP

Python

R

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking a Staff Surface Process Engineer / Surface Chemist to develop and scale surface chemistry processes. This role combines deep expertise in precision substrate processing, process equipment engineering and surface chemistry with hands‑on laboratory work in a fast‑paced, multidisciplinary environment.

Location: San Diego, CA

Job Type: Full-Time

Salary Range: $150,000 - $160,000

The successful candidate will drive development of surface chemistry processes including cleaning, coating and surface functionalization and other processes. This role requires experience with equipment used to manufacture and characterize these surfaces.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop surface processing methods including cleaning, deposition, coating, curing, and QC.
• Develop robust vapor-phase deposition processes including silanization and other surface modification techniques, with emphasis on process uniformity, reproducibility, and manufacturability.
• Lead development, optimization, qualification, and troubleshooting of plasma cleaning processes.
• Specify, develop, optimize, and troubleshoot process equipment including vapor deposition systems, plasma tools, ovens, wet processing tools, and related automation.
• Establish process windows, critical process parameters, and statistical process controls for surface treatments.
• Design and execute statistically rigorous experiments (DOE) to understand process interactions and optimize surface performance.
• Characterize processed surfaces using techniques such as ellipsometry, contact angle, AFM, optical microscopy, fluorescence imaging, profilometry, XPS, SEM, and related analytical methods.
• Translate laboratory processes into scalable manufacturing methods with high yield and reproducibility.
• Drive equipment selection, installation, qualification, and process transfer to manufacturing.
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers while fostering rigorous experimental design, scientific curiosity, and rapid technical iteration.

Qualifications

Required

• M.S. (+8 years of relevant industrial experience) or Ph.D. (+ 4 years) in Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in surface processing and process development.
• Extensive experience in one or more of the following:
  • Coating methods including spin coating and dunk coating
  • Plasma cleaning equipment
  • Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), surface planarization
  • Vapor‑phase surface deposition processes and equipment
  • Wet chemical cleaning and substrate preparation
• Strong understanding of process development for glass, silicon, metal oxide, and other semiconductor-related materials.
• Experience developing manufacturing‑ready surface processes with an emphasis on spatial uniformity, repeatability, process capability, and yield.
• Experience selecting, operating, qualifying, and troubleshooting process equipment.
• Experience with statistical experimental design (DOE), process optimization, and statistical analysis tools (JMP, Python, R, etc.).
• Experience using surface characterization techniques including ellipsometry, contact angle, AFM, profilometry, fluorescence microscopy, SEM, XPS, or related methods.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑moving, highly collaborative environment.
• Hands‑on willingness to develop and troubleshoot processes in the laboratory.

Preferred

• Experience with biotechnological device manufacturing.
• Experience integrating surface chemistry with photolithography, nanoimprint lithography, or other advanced fabrication techniques.
• Experience transferring laboratory processes into pilot or high‑volume manufacturing.
• Experience supporting manufacturing equipment qualification and process validation.

Why Join Us

• Work with a multidisciplinary team spanning chemistry, engineering, optics, biology and manufacturing.
• Play a central role in developing scalable processes from research through commercialization.
• Competitive compensation, equity, comprehensive benefits, and flexibility to support work‑life integration.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We thrive on diversity and collaboration