Product Development Engineer

Job Title

Product Development Engineer

Role Summary

Join a product development team delivering next-generation mask inspection platforms. Lead cross-functional engineering activities across mechanical, electron optics, electrical, software, and systems teams to translate requirements into validated systems ready for manufacturing.

The role focuses on requirements development, system design, calibration, verification, and customer support for precision inspection tools.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Experience expectations vary by degree: PhD — 0 years; Master’s — ~3 years; Bachelor’s — ~5 years.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include system verification, troubleshooting, coordination, and customer support.

• Calibrate, characterize, and verify electron-beam and inspection system performance against specifications.
• Diagnose tool issues, determine root causes, and drive corrective actions to resolution.
• Plan and coordinate engineering activities across internal teams and stakeholders.
• Provide onsite and remote technical support in customer cleanrooms.
• Analyze system and performance data, identify trends, and present findings and recommendations.
• Collaborate across global teams and mentor or onboard junior engineers.
• Travel to customer sites as required; up to 25% travel (domestic or international).

Requirements

Required skills and attributes for successful performance (education requirements are listed separately below).

• Demonstrated ownership and ability to lead cross-functional technical projects.
• Experience with calibration, characterization, and verification of precision electronic/optical systems (electron-beam systems preferred).
• Strong diagnostic and root-cause analysis skills for complex hardware/software systems.
• Ability to plan and coordinate tool activities with multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience providing technical support in customer environments and communicating with stakeholders.
• Proficiency in analyzing performance data and producing actionable reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, attention to detail, and teamwork across time zones.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% to customer sites.

Nice-to-have:

• Knowledge of charged particle dynamics theory and electron optics.
• Familiarity with image processing/computer vision and sensor characterization.
• Experience with electron gun/HV design, semiconductor inspection/metrology, or comparable precision optical/electronic systems.

Education Requirements

Minimum qualifications: PhD (Doctorate) with 0 years relevant work experience; Master’s degree with ~3 years relevant experience; Bachelor’s degree with ~5 years relevant experience. Preferred fields include optics, physics, electrical engineering, electron optics, or related technical disciplines. Equivalent practical experience considered where stated.

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.