Principal Product Manufacturing Engineer
About The Position
FormFactor is seeking an experienced, customer-focused Principal Product Manufacturing Engineer to evaluate whether its products and technical capabilities meet the needs of new and evolving customer silicon devices. The role connects customers and Sales, Field Applications, Product Management, Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing, translating customer requirements into manufacturable product solutions. Working with a high degree of independence, the engineer analyzes customer and device requirements, assesses technical feasibility, identifies risks, and recommends solutions that balance customer needs with product and manufacturing capabilities. The position provides technical guidance throughout customer engagements and supports product adoption, manufacturability, and execution. The ideal candidate brings sound engineering judgment, customer-facing communication skills, and a proactive, data-driven approach to complex technical problems.
Requirements
- At least 5 years of related experience with a bachelor's degree; or 3 years with a master's degree; or a PhD with no experience; or equivalent work experience.
- Skills in abstract thinking, Autodesk AutoCAD, CAD tools, communication, Microsoft Office, and scripting.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain advanced knowledge of company products, technologies, manufacturing capabilities, and application requirements.
- Independently evaluate complex customer silicon devices and technical requirements for product applicability, feasibility, and manufacturability.
- Translate customer requirements into clear technical specifications, recommendations, and solutions.
- Identify technical risks, constraints, and potential integration challenges early in the application process.
- Use engineering principles, product knowledge, and data analysis to resolve complex or ambiguous application challenges, and serve as a technical resource for application-specific questions and product capability assessments.
- Serve as a key technical interface for Sales, Marketing, Field Applications, Customer Support Engineering, Product Management, and other internal stakeholders.
- Communicate technical recommendations, trade-offs, risks, and product capabilities to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Engage with customer engineering and procurement organizations as needed to clarify requirements and support technical alignment.
- Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Product Management to evaluate customer requirements and develop solutions that can be manufactured and supported.
- Lead or support technical discussions about complex customer applications, product capability, manufacturability, and issue resolution.
- Investigate complex application, product, and manufacturability issues using structured problem-solving and data-driven engineering methods.
- Coordinate cross-functional technical investigations and drive issues toward timely resolution.
- Perform root-cause analysis and recommend corrective or preventive actions when application requirements, product performance, or manufacturing capabilities do not align.
- Exercise independent technical judgment when evaluating solution paths and determining recommendations.
- Support technical evaluation and introduction of new customer devices, applications, and product configurations.
- Partner with engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure proposed solutions are technically viable and manufacturable.
- Identify opportunities to improve application readiness, technical evaluation methods, and handoffs between customer-facing and manufacturing organizations.
- Provide technical input to accelerate customer qualification and successful product introduction.
- Identify and lead improvements to application engineering tools, test methods, technical documentation, workflows, and integration processes.
- Analyze recurring technical issues and customer requirements to identify opportunities for product, process, or capability improvements.
- Develop and maintain technical standards, application guidelines, best practices, and supporting documentation.
- Share technical knowledge and best practices with engineering and customer-facing teams.
- Contribute technical insight to product and process improvements that enhance manufacturability, scalability, quality, and the customer experience.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Life insurance and disability coverage.
- 401(k) with company match.
- Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP).
- Paid time off.
- Quarterly profit-sharing bonuses.
- Flexible spending or savings accounts.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
