Lead System Engineer (m/f/x)

Location: Oberkochen

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology

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Enabler for smaller, more powerful, and more energy-efficient microchips​

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Working for tomorrow today. ​

Around 80 percent of all microchips worldwide are produced using ZEISS technologies. As the centerpiece of every electronically controlled system, they have become an integral part of our everyday lives – whether in smartphones, smart homes or smart factories. ZEISS is a technology leader in the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. With high-precision lithography optics, photomask systems and process control solutions, ZEISS enables the production of ever smaller, increasingly powerful, and more energy-efficient microchips, and thus plays a pivotal role in the age of micro- and nanoelectronics.

Your Role

• Take technical ownership of the development of fully automated FIB-SEM process flows and process modules, and translate them into system requirements for a novel FIB-SEM based 3D-Tomography inspection and metrology tool for semiconductor wafers.
• Define the overall automation and process concept (workflow orchestration, recipe strategy, tool states, error handling, recovery concepts) in close alignment with application engineering and customer use cases
• Lead system and machine/tool design, requirements definition, and architecture across mechanics, process modules, electronics, software, controls, sensors, and infrastructure
• Drive the design and implementation of automated process modules and their robust interaction across the complete process chain
• Define and maintain the system requirements specification, interface descriptions, and system-level test and validation strategy in close collaboration with product management and technical experts
• Work in close collaboration with the Lead Software Architect to enable efficient hardware–software co-development, ensuring that control concepts, automation architecture, process and data flows are optimally aligned across all layers
• Establish system-level strategies for closed-loop control and monitoring (metrology feedback, sensor fusion, drift compensation) to achieve repeatable automated processing at scale
• Coordinate interdisciplinary development between system engineers, product developers, project management, and key stakeholders
• Ensure system performance targets (resolution, throughput, stability, availability, reliability) are translated into clear technical requirements and verified by suitable test concepts
• Guide feasibility studies, concept evaluations, and trade-off analyses for critical subsystems, interfaces, and automation concepts. Assess and mitigate technical risks, manage change requests, and ensure end-to-end traceability from customer use cases to realized automated functions
• Act as the technical contact person for the product within the project, representing system engineering in reviews, design boards, and customer discussions
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the system engineering community

Your Profile

• A very well-completed degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, physics, physical engineering, or a comparable field and several years of professional experience; a PhD is advantageous
• Proven experience in developing automated process flows and/or process modules for complex tools or machines (ideally in semiconductor manufacturing, inspection, or metrology environments)
• Experience in electron microscopy; ideally also in FIB technology and 3D tomography related workflows
• Experience in product development of complex systems and machines (incl. requirements engineering, interface management, verification/validation); ideally in the semiconductor environment
• Profound knowledge in system architecture and the development of modular solutions, with a strong understanding of automation, controls, and end-to-end process integration
• Strong analytical thinking, systematic working methods, and problem-solving skills— especially in troubleshooting complex automated process chains
• Ability to collaborate and communicate cross-functionally with various stakeholders (application, software, hardware, manufacturing, service, and customers)
• Knowledge of programming languages, software development, and/or data/automation frameworks is an advantage
• Willingness to work in a highly dynamic work environment
• Very good English skills
• Willingness to travel

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Georgios Tanoglou