Head of Applications Engineering - FaST

Base Pay Range: $198,800.00 - $347,900.00 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 Film and Scatterometry Technology (FaST) Division provides industry leading metrology solutions for worldwide semiconductor IC manufacturers. The FaST Division portfolio of metrology products includes hardware and software solutions for optical film thickness, optical critical dimension (CD), composition, and resistivity measurement systems. These products are essential for the IC manufacturers as they provide critical metrology capabilities for the development and implementation of their advanced IC processes. The FaST division is committed to support our customers to achieve performance entitlement of our solution and we effectively partner with our customers from their early research and development phase to the high volume in-line manufacturing implementation specific for their process needs. The division consists of a global team located in US, Israel, China, and India.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

The FaST Division is seeking a head of global applications. The selected leader will join a dynamic team as a key member of senior staff with responsibilities for our world-wide applications teams (>70 Applications Development Engineers and Scientists) in support of our three product lines: Films, SCD, and Axion.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Manage and guide a global team of development applications engineers and managers (headcount based in the US, Europe, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea & SEA)
• Provide vision and leadership to enable continued FaST business growth
• Provide technical guidance to staff and actively participate in product roadmap decisions
• Drive development of leading-edge solutions for advanced node layers.
• Ensures proper allocation of applications support to customers at different regions worldwide
• Lead key customer collaboration and technical programs for product solutions development, customer research and development, and production adoption. This includes evaluation, demos, and meeting customers' long term needs with roadmap planning
• Ensure regular training of the Development Application and Customer Engagement Application Engineering team members to ensure engineers reach and sustain certification levels required for their roles.
• Promote Best Known Method sharing among the worldwide Applications Engineering teams
• Develop a strong characterization application and demo team
• Proactively work with algorithm team to develop new techniques and approaches in addressing gap layer solutions
• Regularly visit regional application teams, key stakeholders, and customers worldwide.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10 years of experience with a proven track record of demonstrated leadership overseeing relevant functions and teams
• Experience in semiconductor production capital equipment development, product and customer solutions, customer engagement, program and project management, and product roadmap steering
• Advanced degrees (Ph.D, MS.) in Science , Mathematics, and Engineering is a plus.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate (Academic) with a minimum of 12 years of experience OR
• Master's Level Degree with a minimum of 14 years of experience OR
• Bachelor's Level Degree with a minimum of 16 years of experience

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] to confirm the person you are communicating with is an employee. We take your privacy very seriously and confidentially handle your information.