Sr Principal Mechanical Design Engineer

FormFactor•Livermore, CA

About The Position

As a Sr Principal Mechanical Design Engineer within the Product Solutions group, you will serve as a subject matter expert developing and advancing mechanical designs for FormFactor’s pad probing product portfolio and challenging semiconductor applications. You will work with product development, manufacturing, applications, quality, and customer-facing teams, leading complex mechanical design efforts from requirements definition and concept development through prototyping, qualification, product launch, and sustaining support. The role applies deep mechanical engineering expertise, structured problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making to balance product performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and customer requirements. The position is based in Livermore, California. Regular hours are day shift. The role may require work in a Class 1000 cleanroom and up to 15% domestic and international travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
At least 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, 6 years with a master’s degree, or 3 years with a PhD; equivalent experience is also accepted.
Significant mechanical design and product development experience, including independently leading complex designs from concept through prototyping, qualification, production, and sustaining support.
Advanced proficiency with 3D CAD, engineering drawings, GD&T, tolerance analysis, mechanical assemblies, and design for manufacturability.
Hands-on experience with laboratory testing, experimental design, product validation, and troubleshooting complex mechanical systems.
Strong knowledge of structured problem-solving, statistical analysis, and failure-analysis methods such as DOE, 8D, FMEA, and SPC.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including using engineering and performance data to identify root causes and drive design improvements.
Proven ability to collaborate across product development, manufacturing, quality, applications, and customer-facing teams while providing technical leadership and influencing engineering decisions.
Ability to work in a Class 1000 cleanroom environment as needed.
Ability to travel up to 15% domestically and internationally.
Skills include customer escalation, customer messaging, failure analysis, mechanical design, mechanical design drafting, mechanical engineering, probe cards, testing protocols, and wafer probing.

Nice To Haves

Experience with probe card technology, semiconductor test, advanced packaging, precision mechanical systems, or similar high-technology products.
Experience with finite element analysis, process engineering, continuous improvement, or customer-facing technical support.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and refinement of novel tip construction and pad probing products for advanced packaging applications, from requirements and concepts through prototyping, qualification, scaling, and sustaining support.
Serve as a mechanical design subject matter expert and provide technical direction on complex product design, performance, reliability, and manufacturability challenges.
Develop mechanical solutions for complex or ambiguous applications where established design approaches may not meet requirements.
Create and maintain complex 3D CAD models, layouts, engineering drawings, specifications, and bills of materials for manufacturable designs.
Apply GD&T, tolerance analysis, design for manufacturability, and mechanical assembly principles to create robust, repeatable designs.
Perform engineering analysis, including tolerance studies, fit and function assessments, design reviews, and finite element analysis as appropriate.
Define product performance requirements, engineering test plans, and validation strategies for customer applications.
Support prototype development, laboratory testing, product qualification, manufacturing scale-up, and launch readiness.
Analyze experimental and product performance data to validate designs, identify risks, and guide engineering decisions.
Lead design reviews and technical assessments of trade-offs to ensure performance, quality, cost, and manufacturability requirements are met.
Translate customer needs, application challenges, and business requirements into product improvements and new technical capabilities.
Partner with applications and customer-facing teams to optimize designs for real-world customer applications.
Provide technical escalation support for complex field and customer issues using hands-on engineering expertise and structured problem-solving.
Aggregate customer feedback, field performance, and technical learnings to recommend product enhancements and influence future design direction.
Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis for complex product and field issues, developing prototypes and design modifications to validate corrective solutions.
Apply structured problem-solving and failure-analysis methods, including DOE, 8D, FMEA, and SPC, to identify and resolve technical issues.
Use qualification results, manufacturing data, and field performance to identify opportunities to improve product quality, reliability, and manufacturability.
Improve engineering methods, design practices, tools, and processes to increase development efficiency and technical capability.
Collaborate with product development, manufacturing, applications, quality, and customer teams throughout the product lifecycle.
Provide technical leadership and engineering judgment on complex mechanical design decisions, risks, and trade-offs.
Communicate engineering findings, recommendations, and design rationale to stakeholders to influence cross-functional technical decisions.
Mentor and provide technical guidance to less-experienced engineers, sharing best practices and strengthening the team’s mechanical design capabilities.