Staff Systems Engineer — Semiconductor Metrology & Inspection

Onto Innovation; Wilmington (MA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with employer match

Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)

Job summary

Onto Innovation, a leader in process control, seeks a Staff Systems Engineer to drive advanced automated optical inspection and metrology systems for the semiconductor industry. You will lead full lifecycle activities from research to manufacturing transfer and field support, collaborating with hardware, software, test, and service teams.

The role demands deep expertise in systems engineering, optical/instrument development, and metrology, with a track record in prototyping and cross-functional

Qualifications

• PhD (preferred) or advanced degree in Physics, Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience developing high-precision optical or semiconductor capital equipment, or related complex technical systems.
• Proven ability to ideate, prototype, and bring complex products to market.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including structured root cause analysis and solution development.
• Experience with optical inspection, metrology, spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and reflectometry is a plus.
• Knowledge of statistical signal processing and advanced control systems is a plus.
• Experience with MATLAB, LabVIEW, and ZEMAX is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership through a full product development lifecycle, from early stage research to implementation.
• Own and execute core system engineering activities, including requirement definition and total system solution under technical, project, and business constraints.
• Drive early-stage concept development, rapid prototyping, and test iterations in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Lead technical planning for cross-functionally critical activities, including roadmap development, system integration, verification and validation, transfer to manufacturing and service readiness.
• Define system architecture and identify/mitigate technical risks; collaborate with engineers and subject-matter experts to ensure deep understanding of underlying technologies and design decisions.
• Evaluate, track, and clearly communicate development maturity and technical readiness level to stakeholders.
• Mentor and technically develop members of the engineering team, fostering system-level thinking.

Skills

System engineering

Cross-functional leadership

Optical engineering

Metrology

Prototyping

MATLAB

LabVIEW

ZEMAX

Education

PhD (preferred) or advanced degree in Physics, Engineering, Materials Science

Tools

MATLAB

LabVIEW

ZEMAX

Job description

Onto Innovation, a leader in process control, seeks a Staff Systems Engineer to drive advanced automated optical inspection and metrology systems for the semiconductor industry. You will lead full lifecycle activities from research to manufacturing transfer and field support, collaborating with hardware, software, test, and service teams.

The role demands deep expertise in systems engineering, optical/instrument development, and metrology, with a track record in prototyping and cross-functional