Sr. Principal Product Engineer

Job Title

Sr. Principal Product Engineer

Role Summary

Lead development and advancement of MEMS probe technologies, with emphasis on ceramic guide plate materials and product qualification for semiconductor wafer test applications. Act as a technical authority coordinating customers, product management, R&D, manufacturing, and suppliers to translate requirements into reliable, manufacturable solutions.

Position is day shift and based in Livermore, CA. Responsible for product strategy, technology evaluation, and driving complex engineering programs.

Experience Level

Senior - typically 8+ years of relevant engineering experience. See Education Requirements for degree-based alternatives.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include leading product technology, design validation, customer support, and continuous improvement.

• Lead development and qualification of ceramic guide plate materials and technologies for MEMS vertical probe products.
• Define product requirements and technology roadmaps with Product Management and Marketing.
• Design, prototype, and qualify products in collaboration with MEMS fabrication, process engineering, and manufacturing teams.
• Develop and execute reliability, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and lifetime characterization plans and acceptance criteria.
• Support customer qualification, pre-sales technical consultation, and resolve complex product issues.
• Drive root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous product improvements to improve yield, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Collaborate with suppliers to develop material specifications and validate new materials.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, and manage technical risk, schedule, and budget on complex projects.

Requirements

Required capabilities and preferred skills for success in this role.

• Must-have: Proven technical leadership in product engineering for MEMS or semiconductor test products; experience leading cross-functional development, qualification, and continuous improvement.
• Must-have: Experience with materials evaluation, prototype qualification, and developing reliability and characterization methodologies.
• Must-have: Experience leading supplier technical collaborations, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with semiconductor wafer test, probe cards, MEMS structures, advanced ceramic materials, and precision mechanical assemblies.
• Nice-to-have: Proficiency with data analysis and modeling tools such as Python, MATLAB, JMP; FEA/thermo-mechanical modeling (Ansys, SolidWorks Simulation).
• Nice-to-have: Familiarity with semiconductor reliability testing, qualification methodologies, DOE, FMEA, SPC, and statistical analysis.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree plus minimum 8 years related experience; or Master’s degree plus minimum 6 years; or PhD plus minimum 3 years; or equivalent practical experience. Preferred fields include engineering (materials, mechanical, electrical), physics, or related technical disciplines. No specific certifications required.

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.