Mechanical Engineer III (Senior) — Engineering Solutions & Process Enablement

Applied Materials•Austin, TX

About The Position

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips – the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world – like AI and IoT. If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world. You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more. At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits . This role is for a strong mechanical engineer who will improve how engineering gets work done. You won’t be designing mechanical parts or subsystems day to day, but you will use your ME background and skills to standardize and scale how we work. You’ll build solutions (processes, tools, automation, standards) that the engineering community uses to move faster, reduce errors, and scale best practices. What you’ll do: Identify high-friction engineering workflows and turn them into scalable solutions Build, document, and roll out process improvements Apply structured problem ‑ solving and sound engineering judgment to ambiguous challenges Use AI as a daily tool to accelerate analysis, drafting, automation, and knowledge capture Measure impact (cycle time, rework, escapes, efficiency) and iterate based on data Communicate crisply across groups: what’s changing, why, how to use it, and what success looks like Act as a senior contributor and resource to other engineers on project execution and prioritization Core Background: Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and credibility with senior engineers Experience working across design, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, or sustaining teams without direct authority Ability to assess unfamiliar technical and business problem spaces to determine what needs to be done, by whom, and by when Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive alignment Experience presenting concise updates to technical and leadership audiences

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
4-7 years of experience
Demonstrated experience with CAD software, thermodynamics, sheet metal design, material selection, manufacturing methods, GD&T, flow analysis and/or Design for Excellence principle
Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and credibility with senior engineers
Experience working across design, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, or sustaining teams without direct authority
Ability to assess unfamiliar technical and business problem spaces to determine what needs to be done, by whom, and by when
Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive alignment
Experience presenting concise updates to technical and leadership audiences
Strong project execution and coordination skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Experience using AI tools responsibly to draft, analyze, synthesize, and automate routine work
Root-cause / CI methods (8D, A3, DMAIC, 5-Why)
High ownership and follow-through
Drives momentum, accountability, and closure
Execution-minded: delivers working improvements fast, then iterates
Comfortable with ambiguity; can make progress with partial information
Collaborative and direct; earns trust through clarity and results
Demonstrated ability to ramp quickly on new topics and unfamiliar problem domains

Nice To Haves

Experience with knowledge management, standard work, or system rollout/change management
Experience launching new processes or tools and supporting change through adoption
Tooling mindset: can prototype lightweight solutions (scripts, dashboards, automation) or partner tightly with those who can

Responsibilities

Identify and troubleshoot a variety of difficult mechanical problems with limited supervision
Define, coordinate, perform and document engineering test reports
Develop, design, or modify mechanical engineering layouts, schematics, or drawings/specifications of difficult scope
Perform engineering analysis of difficult scope with limited supervision
Technically lead or execute projects; develop key suppliers and generate mechanical product specifications
Design, develop and implement custom mechanical tooling, fixturing and associated processes; enable the handling, assembly and/or disassembly of parts, components, sub-assemblies, and final assemblies; establish standards across all operational processes
Specify and review engineering documentation
Implement concepts for a variety of complex product issues and mechanical solutions
Clearly communicate complex or sensitive information; build consensus
Identify high-friction engineering workflows and turn them into scalable solutions
Build, document, and roll out process improvements
Apply structured problem ‑ solving and sound engineering judgment to ambiguous challenges
Use AI as a daily tool to accelerate analysis, drafting, automation, and knowledge capture
Measure impact (cycle time, rework, escapes, efficiency) and iterate based on data
Communicate crisply across groups: what’s changing, why, how to use it, and what success looks like
Act as a senior contributor and resource to other engineers on project execution and prioritization