Technical Engagement Manager - Films, OCD

To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.

Group/Division

The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The Customer Engagement (CE) division is a field-based group of technical experts who partner closely with customers to provide a comprehensive portfolio of KLA products that support yield improvement from R&D through high-volume production. The team helps align KLA’s solutions with customer needs, supports product performance, identifies new opportunities and gathers insights to guide future innovation—all while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

As Technical Engagement Manager for films, OCD and wafer geometry metrology, you will own KLA's FaST engagement at a new strategic account and lead an on-site team of Customer Engagement Applications Engineers. The customer runs advanced logic and DRAM on one site and is building its engineering team as the fab ramps, so this team carries more of the metrology ownership than on a typical account.

·Customer Engagement & Strategy: Define and execute the account strategy for SpectraShape (optical CD), SpectraFilm and Aleris (thin films) and PWG (patterned wafer geometry), including product penetration, share and adoption (PSA). Build strong relationships with the customer's integration, module and metrology leaders, and develop a deep understanding of their process flow and roadmap.

·Technical Leadership & Execution: Act as the primary technical owner for FaST programs from tool install, acceptance and qualification through ramp. Own the measurement strategy across front-end, middle-of-line and back-end layers for gate-all-around logic and DRAM: model development and turnaround for new layers, recipe qualification, measurement uncertainty, tool matching, correlation to reference metrology, and APC feed-forward and feedback. Lead complex problem solving, risk mitigation and escalation management.

·Capacity & Business Planning: Translate customer sampling plans (layers, lot and wafer sampling) into tool throughput and attach-rate models that support the high-volume tool forecast. Work with account managers on configurations, quotes and booking plans. Apply KLA sales processes (Value/People, SPIN).

·Cross-Functional Collaboration: Represent the customer to the FaST product division and its modeling teams. Collaborate with division marketing, applications and engineering, Service and Sales to deliver product value, align roadmaps and close issues quickly. Lead technical reviews with the customer and KLA management.

·Team Leadership & Development: Hire, lead, mentor and develop CE applications engineers. Drive best known methods, training and knowledge transfer, including helping the customer build its own metrology capability.

Preferred Qualifications

·Deep knowledge of optical metrology: spectroscopic ellipsometry and reflectometry, thin-film optics, RCWA-based OCD modeling and machine-learning-assisted modeling

·Hands-on experience with KLA SpectraShape, SpectraFilm or Aleris and KLA modeling software (AcuShape or equivalent)

·Process control experience on gate-all-around or other advanced logic structures; DRAM experience is a strong plus

·Familiarity with hybrid and reference metrology (TEM, CD-SEM, AFM) and wafer geometry for bonding, CMP and stress control

·Experience taking a new fab or node from R&D through high-volume ramp

·Excellent communication with customer executives and engineers; strong project management

·Willing to work on site in a cleanroom environment and travel to KLA divisions

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

·Master's degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, Materials Science or a related field

·5 to 10 years of semiconductor fab, process control or capital equipment experience, including optical CD or thin-film metrology

·Strong customer-facing experience and problem-solving skills

·Experience leading engineers or cross-functional technical programs

About KLA

We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.

Total Rewards

Base Pay Range: $127,900.00 - $217,400.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-TX-Austin-KLA

KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Use of AI Statement 

At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.

Equal Opportunity Statement

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at [email protected] or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.

For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.