Sr. Systems Design Engineer

Job Title

Sr. Systems Design Engineer

Role Summary

Lead system-level design and development for next-generation optical critical-dimension (CD) metrology systems, from technology evaluation and specification through validation, transfer to manufacturing, and customer ramp support. Work closely with optics, electronics, mechanics, software, and algorithms teams to deliver product solutions.

Base pay range for the primary location listed: $159,500 - $271,200 annually. Reasonable accommodation inquiries: talent.acquisition@kla.com or +1-408-352-2808.

Experience Level

Senior-level. The posting indicates typical minima of Doctorate +2 years related experience or Master’s +5 years; the role requires demonstrated leadership on system-level product development and complex problem resolution.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Develop and evaluate concepts and designs for next-generation metrology systems.
• Lead component- and subsystem-level design efforts: build models, perform analyses, derive requirements, and run design reviews.
• Support prototype efforts: contribute to test plans, run experiments, verify component/subsystem performance, and review test results.
• Research and propose new product features to meet customer process requirements.
• Organize and lead small teams to resolve product-level issues, supplier problems, manufacturing escalations, and improvement projects.
• Develop performance diagnostics and troubleshooting methods for new and existing products.
• Drive cross-site issue resolution: establish root cause, define plans of action, guide execution, and standardize solutions.
• Provide on-site support when required (travel under 25%).

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience:

• Strong background in modeling and simulation of optical systems and ability to develop mathematical models based on physical/optical principles.
• Experience performing detailed analysis and tradeoffs to derive engineering requirements.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional design efforts and to run effective design reviews.
• Hands-on experience with prototype testing, experiment planning, and performance verification.
• Demonstrated skill diagnosing complex system-level problems and implementing standardized solutions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication across technical teams, vendors, and customers.
• Willingness to travel for customer or site support (<25%).

Nice-to-have:

• Experience creating computational models to represent complex optical systems.
• Experience in metrology or semiconductor manufacturing environments.

Education Requirements

Preferred: PhD in Optics, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field. Minimum qualifications listed by the employer: Doctorate plus 2 years of related work experience, or Master’s degree plus 5 years of related work experience.

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.