Applications Manager (RAPID)

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA’s metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. The RAPID division is the world leading provider of reticle inspection solutions for the semiconductor industry. The company provides inspection solutions to both the mask shops and the semiconductor fabs to ensure that lithography yields are consistently high thus enabling cost-effective manufacturing.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

1. Team Leadership & Capability Development: Lead and develop a team of Applications Development Engineers. Build strong competencies in system understanding, data analysis, and application innovation. Drive onboarding, training, and knowledge scaling such as BKM and Apps Notes.
2. New Product Introduction (NPI) & Product Development: Own application development support across the product lifecycle including characterization, alpha/beta testing, and pilot validation. Partner with Engineering teams to define product specifications and validate features for deployment.
3. Applications Development & Innovation: Drive development of recipes, methodologies, data analysis tools, and utilities. Improve system performance, throughput, and efficiency through continuous innovation.
4: Customer Use Case & Product Alignment: Translate customer requirements into application solutions and product enhancements. Ensure alignment between product capability and real customer process flows while incorporating field feedback.
5. Knowledge Development & Scaling: Lead creation of BKM, Apps Notes, and training materials. Ensure solutions are reusable and scalable across regions to enable efficient deployment.
6. Cross-Functional Leadership: Collaborate with Engineering, Product Marketing, and field Apps teams to align priorities and ensure successful product development and deployment.
7. Technical Problem Solving & Escalation Support: Provide leadership in resolving complex technical issues, driving root cause analysis, and delivering sustainable solutions. Ensure feedback loops into product improvement and methodology development.
 

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, or related field. 7–12 years of semiconductor or capital equipment experience. Strong expertise in lithography, mask manufacturing, or inspection systems. Proven experience in NPI or product development and leading technical teams.
Preferred qualification:
Experience with reticle inspection, EUV, or advanced nodes. Experience with data analysis tools or scripting (Python, MATLAB). Experience working with global customers such as TSMC, Samsung, and Micron.

We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.

KLA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer

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