Senior Systems Engineer

Cohu Careers • San Diego, CA

1d

About The Position

MAIN OBJECTIVES  Translate complex customer and market requirements into robust system concepts that balance performance, reliability, usability, and cost of ownership.  Drive system-level innovation by integrating mechanical, electrical, thermal, and software domains into cohesive machine platforms.  Moderate cross-functional concept development workshops and guide teams through structured decision-making under uncertainty.  Evaluate feasibility and risk of new concepts using first-principles physics and empirical modeling.  Ensure system-level traceability from requirements to implementation and maintain architectural integrity throughout the development lifecycle.  Act as a technical authority and mentor for interdisciplinary engineering teams during the development of complex mechatronic systems.  Drive development schedules of module and platform development projects aligned to overall program and project dates to meet committed demonstration and ship dates.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechatronics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field. ((PhD, MSc, MEng, etc. desired)
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the system level leadership of the development of complex mechatronic systems, ideally in semiconductor backend equipment.
• Minimum of 5 years as a direct engineer in a discipline.
• Proven track record in system engineering, machine concept development, and cross-functional engineering leadership.
• Deep understanding of thermal systems, motion control, sensor integration, and machine intelligence.
• Experience with requirement engineering, risk management, and certification processes.
• Strong knowledge of modeling tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink), CAE, and system simulation.
• Excellent English communication skills: German and/or French is a plus.
• Willingness to travel internationally up to 20%.

Nice To Haves

• PhD, MSc, MEng, etc.

Responsibilities

• Conduct system-level requirement analysis and author technical specifications and design briefs for platforms, machines, and modules.
• Lead the evaluation and selection of technical concepts in collaboration with domain experts, based on functional, economic, and risk criteria.
• Ensure architectural consistency and interface compatibility across subsystems and modules.
• Guide the development of subsystem concepts and validate their feasibility through analytical modeling and simulation.
• Facilitate design reviews and ensure that development progress aligns with system-level objectives.
• Drive risk assessments and initiate necessary pre-development or technology validation activities.
• Ensure compliance with certification requirements (e.g., CE, SEMI, RoHS) and support the preparation of documentation.
• Support patent applications and the protection of intellectual property arising from system innovations.
• Present technical solutions and resolve system-level issues in collaboration with customers and stakeholders.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees