Lead Mechanical Design Engineer
$94.1k - $123.5k/yr+ Quarterly profit-sharing bonuses + 401(k) match + Employee stock purchase plan
Mid, Senior
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
Beaverton, OR, USA
In Person
Mechanical EngineeringDesign Engineering
About the job
Requirements
- Demonstrated expertise in precision motion systems, positioning stages, servo systems, actuators, encoders, and advanced mechanical mechanisms.
- Strong experience with semiconductor equipment, preferably wafer probers, precision test systems, or related capital equipment.
- Experience designing wafer chuck systems, wafer alignment methodologies, and wafer positioning architectures.
- Strong understanding of mechanical dynamics, structural stiffness, vibration control, thermal stability, precision positioning systems, and tolerance analysis.
- Experience integrating mechanical, electrical, sensor, controls, and software subsystems into complex electromechanical platforms.
- Proven ability to lead complex technical projects and influence engineering decisions across multiple disciplines.
- Experience with chuck controllers, force and position control systems, closed-loop feedback architectures, linear motors and servo systems, air bearings and precision stages, flexure-based mechanisms, and high-performance encoder technologies.
- Knowledge of vibration isolation systems, modal analysis, and dynamic modeling techniques.
- Experience with high-precision optical alignment, metrology, probing, or test systems.
- Customer-facing experience supporting installation, qualification, production ramp, and continuous improvement activities within semiconductor fabrication environments.
- Experience utilizing SolidWorks, Creo, finite element analysis tools, MATLAB, Simulink, or equivalent engineering analysis software.
- Mechanical design, probe stations, servo controls, vibration analysis, vibration control, vibration monitoring, vibration testing, and wafer probing.
- At least 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 3 years with a Master's degree, or a PhD without experience, or equivalent work experience.
Responsibilities
- Define and own the mechanical architecture for advanced semiconductor wafer probing and test systems.
- Architect precision motion and positioning solutions, including X/Y/Z/θ stages, positioners, actuators, flexures, bearings, guide systems, and encoder technologies.
- Lead the design of wafer handling, wafer support, alignment, and chucking systems to achieve high precision and repeatability.
- Establish system-level mechanical performance requirements, specifications, and design targets.
- Lead wafer chuck and chuck-control architecture, including wafer support, vacuum distribution, thermal management, Z-height control, planarity, and alignment mechanisms.
- Develop solutions that optimize probing accuracy, contact consistency, thermal performance, and wafer protection.
- Evaluate and improve chuck performance through modeling, testing, and experimental validation.
- Collaborate with controls teams to optimize force control, position control, and closed-loop performance.
- Design and optimize high-performance motion systems utilizing servo motors, linear motors, encoders, air bearings, precision guideways, and advanced mechanical mechanisms.
- Partner with Controls Engineering to develop integrated motion-control and feedback systems that meet dynamic performance requirements.
- Support selection, integration, and qualification of sensors, actuators, and control hardware.
- Drive system-level optimization of motion profiles, positioning accuracy, repeatability, and throughput.
- Analyze and resolve vibration, resonance, stiffness, thermal stability, and mechanical dynamic challenges.
- Perform and guide finite element analysis, modal analysis, tolerance analysis, and thermal-mechanical simulations.
- Develop design solutions that maximize precision while maintaining manufacturability, reliability, and cost effectiveness.
- Establish design methodologies and best practices for precision mechanical systems.
- Lead mechanical architecture activities from concept development through prototype validation, qualification, release, and production ramp.
- Evaluate design tradeoffs involving performance, manufacturability, reliability, serviceability, scalability, and cost.
- Drive root cause investigations and resolve complex technical issues affecting product performance or customer operations.
- Support New Product Introduction programs and technology roadmaps.
- Provide system-level leadership across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, optical, automation, and manufacturing disciplines.
- Drive technical decision-making through engineering analysis, experimental validation, and data-driven methodologies.
- Participate in design reviews and provide technical oversight on critical subsystem and system-level decisions.
- Collaborate with suppliers, development partners, and manufacturing teams to ensure successful implementation of designs.
- Support customer installations, system qualification activities, factory acceptance testing, and production ramp efforts.
- Investigate and resolve complex field issues involving precision positioning, wafer handling, motion control, and mechanical performance.
- Partner with customers and internal teams to identify future technology requirements and performance improvements.
- Serve as a technical mentor and subject matter expert for mechanical engineering teams.
- Guide engineering standards, design practices, architecture reviews, and technology development initiatives.
- Influence long-term product architecture and engineering strategy through technical leadership and innovation.
- Lead complex engineering initiatives and cross-functional projects with significant business impact.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with semiconductor equipment, preferably wafer probers, precision test systems, or related capital equipment.
About the company
FormFactor provides test and measurement tools for ICs across the semiconductor lifecycle. Its products include probe cards, probe stations, analytical probes, and thermal/cryogenic subsystems that connect devices under test to measurement equipment for wafer-level testing. The company differentiates itself through a broad, integrated portfolio built via acquisitions like MicroProbe, Cascade Microtech, FRT, and Advantest’s probe card assets, enabling end-to-end wafer testing from R&D to production for DRAM, NAND Flash, SoCs, and high-frequency applications. Its goal is to help semiconductor customers optimize device performance, improve yields, and speed time to profitability by supplying reliable test interfaces and measurement systems.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Livermore, California
Founded
1995
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- FormFactor joined S&P MidCap 400 on October 1, 2026, expanding institutional ownership.
- Texas granted $24.2 million on July 2, 2026, funding a 600-job Farmers Branch plant.
- Q2 2026 revenue hit $258.2 million; management raised Q3 guidance to $270 million.
What critics are saying
- SK hynix drove 24.3% of Q2 2026 revenue; a slowdown hits FormFactor immediately.
- Taiwan and South Korea generated about 65% of Q2 2026 revenue, increasing geopolitical exposure.
- Farmers Branch capacity constrains orders until 2027; missed CPU demand hands share to competitors.
What makes FormFactor unique
- FormFactor’s MicroSpring probe cards test wafer-level chips before packaging, cutting scrap and rework.
- Its HBM probe-card franchise serves SK hynix, TSMC, Samsung, Micron, and Intel.
- FormFactor now spans electrical, thermal, and optical testing, including Pharos and cryogenic systems.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- 401(k) Company Match
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Paid Vacation
- Profit Sharing
- Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account