Product Development Engineer

Job Title

Product Development Engineer

Role Summary

Engineer on the Surfscan product team within KLA's Global Products Group responsible for system-level product development, integration, validation and field support. The role drives new product introduction and sustaining activities across hardware, software and system interactions to meet performance and schedule targets.

Experience Level

Mid-level — recommended 5+ years of relevant experience in semiconductor equipment, complex systems, or related high-tech industries.

Responsibilities

Primary duties include product lifecycle execution, system test and validation, engineering change management, and field escalation support.

• Support new product introduction and sustaining activities within the Product Lifecycle (PLC) framework.
• Contribute to system definition, integration, verification and release for products and subsystems.
• Develop and execute system-level test plans including validation, characterization and reliability testing.
• Own and implement Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and Field Change Orders (FCOs); scope, validate and release changes.
• Lead root-cause investigations and drive corrective actions across mechanical, electrical and optical subsystems.
• Provide hands-on field escalation support, including international travel for on-site diagnostics and “fly-and-fix” engagements.
• Collaborate with design, manufacturing, applications and service teams and provide technical documentation and training.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience, followed by preferred skills.

• 5+ years experience in semiconductor equipment, complex systems, or related high-tech industry.
• Strong system-level engineering capability across multi-disciplinary subsystems (mechanical, electrical, optical).
• Proven experience with test plan development and execution, system integration, validation, and hardware debugging.
• Demonstrated root cause analysis and structured problem-solving for performance and reliability issues.
• Familiarity with PLC/control systems, data acquisition and instrumentation, and data analysis methods.
• Hands-on lab and field troubleshooting skills; ability to work independently to drive problem resolution.
• Willingness to travel internationally ~30–50% to support customer escalations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and experience working in global cross-functional teams.

Preferred / nice-to-have:

• Experience with semiconductor capital equipment and supporting field escalations or customer-facing engineering.
• Knowledge of stage-gate development, product lifecycle engineering, and PLC processes.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, Optical, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.

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.