Senior Director Process Engineer

Applied Materials•Gloucester, MA

1d•$200,000 - $275,000•Onsite

About The Position

Applied Materials is hiring a Senior Director Process Engineer to lead the development, customer qualification, adoption, and high-volume manufacturing (HVM) ramp of innovative plasma patterning systems and applications. The position combines technical expertise in semiconductor process and equipment technology with customer leadership, operational discipline, and organizational development. The leader will drive timely results and accountability while working in the office, collaborating closely with global customers and account teams, supporting frequent nighttime calls across global time zones, and traveling as needed, including on short notice. The role is based in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and focuses on converting advanced process capability into stable, repeatable, productive, and economically valuable manufacturing solutions. The leader will guide process and hardware co-optimization, resolve complex process and system problems, and translate customer requirements and technology roadmaps into equipment and process-development priorities. They will also lead and develop directors, managers, senior technical leaders, and productivity engineering teams, and build the organizational capabilities needed for future etch and patterning technology generations.

Requirements

At least 15 years of relevant technology and engineering leadership experience in the leading-edge semiconductor fabrication or equipment industry.
Ability to lead in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment, execute work in the office, collaborate closely with customers and account teams, and support frequent nighttime calls across global time zones.
Ability to set direction, develop technical talent, influence across organizations, and convert technology strategy into measurable customer and business results.
Ability to understand leading-edge customer roadmaps, identify critical technology gaps, and build trusted technical partnerships.
Ability to direct resolution of highly complex or unusual technical and business problems using advanced analytical thought and judgment.
Ability to convert process performance into stable, repeatable, productive, and economically valuable manufacturing solutions through disciplined execution and continuous improvement.
Knowledge of plasma etch equipment and process technology development.
Knowledge of plasma physics, plasma chemistry, surface reactions, ion/radical interactions, and RF power and bias control.
Knowledge of patterning profile, critical dimension (CD), selectivity, uniformity, loading, defectivity, and process-window control.
Knowledge of chamber hardware and process interactions.
Knowledge of EUV patterning technology development and integration.
Knowledge of advanced logic, foundry, IDM, and memory patterning requirements.
Experience or knowledge in leading-edge foundry and IDM technology development, production ramp, and HVM operations.
Knowledge of equipment and process co-optimization.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally 25–50% of the time, including on short notice.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in engineering, applied physics, materials science, or a related technical discipline.

Responsibilities

Drive engineering solutions that transition advanced process capability from development into high-volume manufacturing.
Establish HVM requirements for process stability, repeatability, chamber matching, uptime, defectivity, consumable lifetime, and productivity.
Balance process performance with equipment productivity and manufacturing requirements.
Use equipment and process data to identify performance gaps and prioritize improvements.
Lead systematic root-cause analysis and continuous improvement for customer HVM issues.
Ensure new technologies deliver sustainable manufacturing value as well as strong process performance.
Set expectations and hold team members accountable for rapid response, timely decisions, and follow-through; mobilize cross-functional resources to address customer needs.
Standardize best practices across programs and global teams to improve quality, cycle time, productivity, and HVM readiness.
Identify technical, resource, schedule, and customer risks; drive containment, root-cause resolution, and prevention of recurrence.
Promote first-time-right engineering through requirements, design and process reviews, change control, qualification discipline, and learning capture.
Establish operating rhythms and performance indicators that improve execution predictability, issue visibility, and timely decision making.
Translate strategy into executable plans with milestones, accountable owners, decision gates, risk controls, and measurable outcomes.
Lead and develop directors, managers, senior technical leaders, and productivity engineering teams; build a culture of technical excellence, customer focus, innovation, accountability, and execution.
Develop future technical and organizational leaders and establish clear priorities, technical decision mechanisms, ownership, and success criteria.
Drive collaboration across process engineering, systems, hardware, software, applications, product, field, and customer teams.
Provide technical and strategic guidance for plasma patterning systems and applications.
Drive process and hardware co-optimization to improve performance, process-window robustness, chamber stability, and manufacturability.
Lead resolution of complex process, chamber, hardware, and system-level problems.
Translate application requirements into equipment capability and technology-development priorities.
Lead technical engagements with advanced logic, foundry, and memory customers from initial evaluation through production adoption.
Understand customer device and technology roadmaps and translate future requirements into product and process-development priorities.
Build trusted technical partnerships with customer engineering, integration, technology-development, and manufacturing organizations.
Accelerate conversion of differentiated technology into customer adoption and production-of-record applications.
Build organizational capabilities for future etch and patterning technology generations.
Travel domestically and internationally to support customer or business needs.