Technical Program/Project Manager (Capital Equipment)

Base Pay Range: $188,700.00 - $330,200.00 Annually

Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA

KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits identified below. Interns are eligible for some of the benefits identified below. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed above reflects the minimum and maximum pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Company Overview

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

Group/Division

With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA’s metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The Broadband Plasma Division (BBP) provides market-leading patterned wafer optical inspection systems for leading-edge IC manufacturing. Logic, foundry, and memory customers depend on BBP products to detect yield-critical defects for process debug and excursion monitoring at advanced process nodes. BBP flagship products include the 29xx and 39xx series which leverage Broadband Plasma technology to capture a wide range of defects with ultimate sensitivity at the optical inspection speeds needed for inline defect monitoring.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

The BBP division is searching for a dynamic, creative, and hardworking individual to drive development and integration of our next generation program. The successful candidate will manage both the technical team and the project, as the Product Lifecycle (PLC) lead, to achieve program objectives.

We are looking for candidates who have intellectual curiosity, natural problem solvers, work well with others, possess a desire to grow, and can demonstrate leadership skills. As the project head, you must possess a strong sense of purpose and be driven to continually improve self, others, and the way we do business.

Responsibilities:

• Lead development program with cutting edge technology in optics, sensor, sources, and data acquisition working with multi-disciplinary and cross functional teams.

• Responsible for the product from proving business case to design, development, implementation, continuous improvement and sustaining support. 

• Assess the engineering technical risks for the program. Establish and actively manage mitigation plans to reduce and retire risks.

• Support technology prototyping, problem solving and risk retirement at vendor and in product development.

• Collaborate with the CTO & Supply Chain Management team to initiate and maintain productive working relationships with critical suppliers.

• Ensure programs objectives are delivered on schedule and within budget.

• Direct management and management through influence.

• Diverse audience communication and presentation skills.

• System engineering and or functional engineering experience developing products.

Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate should have 10+ years of engineering experience in technical program manager role with both technical and business development responsibilities.

• Track record of delivering products.

• Candidate must have subject matter expertise in one or more areas - advanced sensors, optics, or sources.  System level experience with broad understanding of component technologies is also acceptable.

• Ability to drive program schedules, COGS, value-based pricing, and market share.

• Innovative ways to create features that add value and optimize schedule while not impacting performance.

• Creative problem solver with a proven track record of solving complex technical issues.

• Understand and apply Systems Engineering principles in product development, sustaining, and improvements.

• Candidate should have engineering expertise that is deep in at least one area and broad across other engineering disciplines and ability to quickly learn new information.

• Must have strong technical leadership, strategic thinking, accountability, awareness of critical priorities, ability to manage ambiguity, effective communication & presentation skills including C level.

• Resilience in handling challenging situations, need to be self-driven, hardworking, detail oriented, with a can-do attitude and a critical thinker.

• Ability to prioritize project demands, motivate, delegate, and empower cross-functional team.

• Experience in semiconductor manufacturing and a proven success and track record in leading multidisciplinary teams to successfully launch and/or manage transition of a capital equipment product is a plus.

• Work with Engineering organization to orient the team by addressing schedule, establishing priorities, and presenting changes through regular meetings.

• Work with the service and manufacturing organizations to establish and meet requirements for production ramping and lifetime maintenance.

• Own the optimization of ROI for the product.

• Work closely with Marketing & Sales teams, understand business opportunities, customer use cases, and market trends.

• Directly engage with customers along with Marketing & Sales teams, drive customer adoptions of tools and features/options.

• Provide guidance or help in roadmap, business, and market aspects for related products at KLA.

Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) or work experience of 5-10 years , Master's Level Degree or work experience of 10 years, Bachelor's Level Degree or work experience of 10-15 years

The company offers a total rewards package that is competitive and comprehensive including but not limited to the following:  medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other status protected by applicable law. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.

Be aware of potentially fraudulent job postings or suspicious recruiting activity by persons that are currently posing as KLA employees.  KLA never asks for any financial compensation to be considered for an interview, to become an employee, or for equipment. Further, KLA does not work with any recruiters or third parties who charge such fees either directly or on behalf of KLA. Please ensure that you have searched KLA’s Careers website for legitimate job postings.  KLA follows a recruiting process that involves multiple interviews in person or on video conferencing with our hiring managers.  If you are concerned that a communication, an interview, an offer of employment, or that an employee is not legitimate, please send an email to talent.acquisition@kla.com to confirm the person you are communicating with is an employee. We take your privacy very seriously and confidentially handle your information.