Sr Principal Field Service Engineer

Job Title

Sr Principal Field Service Engineer

Role Summary

The Sr Principal Field Service Engineer is a senior technical individual contributor responsible for installation, qualification, troubleshooting, optimization, maintenance, and support of semiconductor probe card systems and related test interfaces. The role works closely with customers, Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Reliability and Quality teams to ensure product performance and customer satisfaction.

This position requires frequent domestic and international travel to customer sites and leads complex technical investigations and new product introductions.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 8+ years of related field service or technical experience; alternative pathways accepted (see Education Requirements for specific experience-to-degree mappings).

Responsibilities

Accountable for customer-facing service delivery, technical problem resolution, and cross-functional technical collaboration.

• Install, configure, qualify, and accept probe card systems, accessories, and test interface products at customer sites.
• Perform preventive and corrective maintenance to ensure system performance and reliability.
• Diagnose and resolve complex hardware, electrical, mechanical, and process-related issues in production environments.
• Lead onsite and remote troubleshooting, drive containment and corrective actions, and support root-cause investigations.
• Provide technical guidance during new product introductions, customer evaluations, and early production deployments.
• Maintain accurate service reports, work orders, installation records, and required documentation.
• Serve as primary technical contact for assigned customers and strategic programs; communicate findings and recovery plans to stakeholders.
• Analyze field performance data, identify trends, and recommend product or process improvements.
• Mentor and train Field Service Engineers and customers; contribute to service procedures and troubleshooting documentation.
• Ensure compliance with quality, safety, and customer requirements while working in customer manufacturing environments.

Requirements

Essential technical skills and work conditions required for the role.

• Proven experience installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting semiconductor probe card systems or similar test interface equipment.
• Strong diagnostics skills across electrical, mechanical, and process domains; structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis experience.
• Ability to lead technical investigations and implement corrective and long-term solutions in production environments.
• Excellent customer-facing communication skills and experience as a primary technical contact for customer accounts.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, including internationally.
• Proficiency with documentation, service reports, and standard office tools (e.g., Microsoft Office 365).
• Ability to work independently and mentor junior staff; strong attention to detail and reliability.
• Familiarity with remote diagnostic tools and supporting customers via onsite and remote channels.

Nice-to-have:

• Prior experience in semiconductor wafer test or probe card engineering.
• Experience with test system networking, lab instrumentation, or script-level automation for diagnostics.

Education Requirements

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree plus 8 years related experience; or Master’s degree plus 6 years experience; or PhD plus 3 years experience; or equivalent practical experience. (The posting explicitly allows equivalent experience in place of the degree.)

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.