Staff Manufacturing Engineer

Onto Innovation•Milpitas, CA

About The Position

This role is intended for a highly experienced systems engineer focused on sustaining semiconductor capital equipment manufacturing operations, supporting technical escalations, improving manufacturability, and driving cross-functional resolution of complex system-level issues. The Staff Systems Engineer will serve as a senior technical lead supporting manufacturing, sustaining engineering, and new product transition activities for advanced semiconductor capital equipment systems. This role is heavily focused on system-level troubleshooting, root cause analysis, manufacturing support, escalation management, and cross-functional coordination between Manufacturing, R&D, Service, Quality, Suppliers, and Operations. The ideal candidate combines strong systems engineering fundamentals with hands-on troubleshooting capability across optics, motion systems, controls, software, electronics, and manufacturing processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Systems Engineering, Optical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
10+ years of experience in semiconductor capital equipment, advanced manufacturing systems, or complex electro-mechanical systems.
Strong hands-on troubleshooting capability at subsystem and system level.
Experience supporting manufacturing operations, sustaining engineering, or technical escalation management.
Strong understanding of systems engineering principles and cross-functional integration.
Experience with structured root cause analysis methodologies.

Nice To Haves

Experience with semiconductor metrology or inspection equipment.
Experience with optical systems, motion systems, precision alignment, or calibration processes.
Knowledge of manufacturing readiness, NPI processes, and pilot line operations.
Experience supporting contract manufacturers or extended factory operations.
Familiarity with statistical analysis, process capability, and reliability improvement methodologies.
Programming or scripting experience in Python, MATLAB, or similar tools is a plus.
Experience with MES, ERP, PLM, or manufacturing data systems is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead complex technical escalations affecting manufacturing builds, qualification, reliability, and customer readiness.
Drive systematic root cause analysis (RCA), containment actions, corrective actions, and long-term preventive solutions.
Provide hands-on support for system integration, subsystem troubleshooting, calibration, and qualification activities.
Support sustaining engineering activities for released products, including issue trending, failure analysis, and reliability improvements.
Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering and NPI teams to improve manufacturability, scalability, and production readiness.
Work closely with R&D to identify design weaknesses, process gaps, and recurring field/manufacturing issues.
Support extended factory and contract manufacturer operations by providing technical guidance, troubleshooting support, and process standardization.
Review engineering changes (ECOs/ECNs) and assess manufacturing impact, risk, validation requirements, and implementation readiness.
Develop and improve troubleshooting procedures, build documentation, qualification methods, and manufacturing workflows.
Analyze system performance data, logs, calibration results, and process metrics to identify trends and systemic issues.
Support pilot builds, engineering builds, beta systems, and production ramp activities.
Provide mentorship and technical leadership to junior engineers and technicians.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on cycle time reduction, build quality, uptime, and escalation reduction.
Interface directly with suppliers and cross-functional teams to resolve technical and quality-related issues.