Applications Manager (RAPID)

Job Title

Applications Manager (RAPID)

Role Summary

Lead a team of Applications Development Engineers supporting RAPID reticle inspection products across the product lifecycle. Own application development, customer validation, and scaling of methodologies to ensure product fit with customer processes.

Work cross-functionally with Engineering, Product Marketing, and field teams to drive NPI, resolve complex technical issues, and deliver reusable application solutions at scale.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 7–12 years of semiconductor or capital equipment experience (as stated in the posting).

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include leading the applications team, owning NPI support, and driving application innovation and customer alignment.

• Lead and develop a team of Applications Development Engineers; create onboarding, training, and best-known-methods documentation.
• Own application support through characterization, alpha/beta testing, and pilot validation during NPI.
• Develop recipes, methodologies, data-analysis tools, and utilities to improve system performance and throughput.
• Translate customer requirements into application solutions and recommend product enhancements informed by field feedback.
• Create reusable documentation (BKM, Apps Notes) and training materials for scalable deployment across regions.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with Engineering, Product Marketing, and field teams to align priorities and ensure successful deployment.
• Provide technical leadership for complex issue resolution, root-cause analysis, and escalation support.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience, plus preferred capabilities.

• Must-have: 7–12 years semiconductor or capital equipment experience with proven experience in NPI or product development and leading technical teams.
• Must-have: Strong expertise in lithography, mask manufacturing, or inspection systems.
• Must-have: Demonstrated ability to develop application methodologies, recipes, and data-analysis approaches that improve system performance and throughput.
• Must-have: Experience working directly with customers to translate process requirements into application solutions and to validate deployments.
• Must-have: Proven problem-solving and escalation management for complex technical issues.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with reticle inspection, EUV, or advanced nodes; scripting or data-analysis tools such as Python or MATLAB.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with major global customers (example: TSMC, Samsung, Micron).

Education Requirements

Master's degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field (required, per the posting).

About the Company

Company: KLA

Headquarters: Chennai, India

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company enables the production of electronic devices by inventing systems and solutions for manufacturing integrated circuits, wafers, and displays. With over 40 years of experience, KLA invests heavily in innovation and R&D to support advanced chip design and manufacturing process optimization, collaborating with top technology providers to deliver future electronic devices.