Sr Principal Engineering Program Manager

Job Title

Sr Principal Engineering Program Manager

Role Summary

Lead complex semiconductor technology and product development programs from concept through qualification, manufacturing ramp, and high-volume production. Drive cross-functional execution across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and business teams to deliver programs on schedule and within scope.

Provide program governance, risk management, and executive-level visibility into program status, resource needs, and business impact.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 8+ years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; alternate paths include 6+ years with a Master’s degree, 3+ years with a PhD, or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end program execution and coordinate cross-functional teams to meet technical, schedule, and business objectives.

• Lead programs from concept through qualification, manufacturing readiness, and high-volume production.
• Define scope, develop schedules, plan resources, manage dependencies, and deliver program milestones.
• Establish and execute program governance: milestone reviews, readiness assessments, and stage-gate processes.
• Drive cross-functional alignment across Engineering, Product Management, Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and customer-facing teams.
• Identify and mitigate technical, schedule, and resource risks; lead issue resolution and escalation.
• Coordinate product development, qualification, validation, and manufacturing readiness activities to meet performance, reliability, quality, yield, and cost objectives.
• Maintain program dashboards, metrics, and executive reporting; present updates and recommendations to leadership.
• Promote continuous improvement of program management processes and development methodologies.

Requirements

Key must-have skills and experiences for successful performance in this role.

• Proven success driving New Product Introduction (NPI), New Technology Introduction (NTI), technology readiness, product qualification, and commercialization.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing technical and business decisions without direct authority.
• Expertise in program planning, execution, risk and dependency management, resource planning, and schedule development.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing operations, product qualification methodologies, yield improvement, reliability processes, and failure analysis concepts.
• Familiarity with Design of Experiments (DOE) and structured problem-solving techniques.
• Experience with program management and analytics tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, timeline tools, or equivalents).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, written and verbal communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Semiconductor Engineering, Engineering Management, or a related technical discipline is preferred. Alternate education/experience paths accepted: Bachelor’s + ~8 years experience; Master’s + ~6 years; PhD + ~3 years; or equivalent practical experience. Professional certifications such as PMP, Agile, or Six Sigma are considered a plus.

About the Company

Company: FormFactor

Headquarters: Livermore, California, United States

FormFactor provides test and measurement technologies and services for the semiconductor industry across the product lifecycle — including characterization, modeling, reliability, design debug, qualification and production test. The company serves customers globally through facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America.