Electrical Engineer 4

From smartphones to solar panels, innovative technology is needed to create the devices we use every day. Silfex’s silicon components help make that technology a reality.

Silfex Inc., A Lam Research Company is the leading provider of precision silicon components used to make and operate semiconductor tools, which enable the trillion-dollar global electronics industry. Our company’s products are integral to the semiconductor equipment and optical markets. The outstanding team at Silfex makes that possible – through our people, we are advancing the world. 

The impact we have on the world is made possible by focusing on our people. So we recognize and celebrate our teams’ achievements. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse culture where everyone’s contribution and voice has value. We evaluate and evolve our offerings, so our people receive the support and empowerment to do meaningful things for their lives, careers, and communities.

Our Perks and Benefits

At Silfex, our people make amazing things possible. That’s why we invest in you throughout the phases of your life with a comprehensive set of outstanding benefits that start on your first day of employment. 

Discover more at Lam Benefits

Job Description:

Electrical Equipment Design and Reliability Engineer 

From smartphones to solar panels, innovative technology is needed to create the devices we use every day. Silfex’s silicon components help make that technology a reality. 

At Silfex, we’re the leading provider of precision silicon components used to make and operate semiconductor tools, which enable the trillion-dollar global electronics industry. Our company’s products are integral to the semiconductor equipment and optical markets. The outstanding team at Silfex makes that possible, through our people, we help connect the world. 

The successful candidate for this position will become eligible for a comprehensive set of outstanding benefits. To learn more about the benefits Silfex offers for this position check out: https://www.lambenefits.com/ 

Join our team and help us connect the world and support the technology of the future! 

Position Summary 

The Electrical Equipment Design and Reliability Engineer will support Silfex internal and external supplier-related equipment development projects with primary ownership of electrical machine design and electrical system reliability. This role will work with suppliers and internal teams to define, design, review, build, test, commission, and improve the electrical systems used on custom semiconductor manufacturing equipment, CNC machines, automation, robotics, tooling, and supporting process equipment. 

The position will focus on how the electrical portion of the equipment is designed and built from concept through end of life. The engineer will specify electrical architecture and components, review detailed drawings and control interfaces, validate machine safety and operation, troubleshoot electrical failures, and use equipment performance and failure history to improve designs, preventive maintenance, spare parts, and supplier standards. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Lead the electrical portion of full machine development cycles from equipment requirements and concept through design, build, factory acceptance testing, installation, commissioning, site acceptance testing, production release, and lifecycle support. 

• Develop and review electrical system architecture, power distribution, electrical schematics, control panel layouts, wiring diagrams, cable and harness drawings, grounding and shielding plans, I/O lists, bills of material, and electrical interface documentation. 

• Specify industrial electrical components including disconnects, circuit protection, transformers, power supplies, motors, starters, variable-frequency drives, servo drives, relays, contactors, terminal blocks, sensors, instrumentation, encoders, safety devices, control hardware, and industrial networks. 

• Define electrical and control interfaces for CNC systems, PLCs, HMIs, robotics, servo motion, machine vision, probing, laser measurement, metrology, vacuum systems, coolant systems, process skids, and facility connections. 

• Perform and document electrical design calculations including connected load, conductor sizing, overcurrent protection, short-circuit considerations, panel heat load, voltage drop, motor and drive sizing, power supply loading, and component derating. 

• Review supplier electrical designs in detail to confirm they meet Silfex equipment requirements, approved components, electrical standards, machine safety expectations, reliability targets, documentation requirements, and long-term service needs. 

• Lead electrical design reviews and identify design gaps before equipment fabrication begins. Track technical actions through closure and verify that approved changes are reflected in final documentation. 

• Develop electrical requirements and acceptance criteria for equipment specifications, requests for quotation, supplier statements of work, design reviews, factory acceptance tests, and site acceptance tests. 

• Lead or support electrical DFMEA, equipment FMEA, fault-tree analysis, risk assessments, component criticality reviews, and failure trend analysis to reduce electrical risk before it affects safety, quality, delivery, or cost. 

• Develop and execute electrical test and validation plans including incoming inspection, panel inspection, power-up, I/O checkout, safety circuit validation, fault recovery, alarm testing, interlock testing, control sequence testing, network verification, and stress or endurance testing. 

• Ensure electrical systems are designed for safe operation, troubleshooting, lockout/tagout, maintenance access, component replacement, and recovery from common faults. 

• Investigate electrical and controls-related equipment failures using schematics, measurement tools, PLC and drive diagnostics, alarm histories, maintenance records, component analysis, technician feedback, and structured root cause methods. 

• Lead corrective actions for repeat or significant electrical failures and confirm that permanent solutions are incorporated into drawings, bills of material, programs, equipment standards, maintenance plans, and spare-parts lists. 

• Evaluate component failures and current equipment performance, then work back to the electrical design phase to identify improper application, loading, heat, contamination, vibration, electrical noise, grounding, duty cycle, environmental exposure, or component life concerns. 

• Track and analyze electrical reliability metrics including electrical downtime, failure frequency, mean time between failures, mean time to repair, repeat failure rate, component life, equipment availability, and maintenance effectiveness. 

• Develop electrical reliability strategies for critical equipment including preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, condition monitoring, inspection requirements, component replacement intervals, critical spare-parts strategy, and obsolescence planning. 

• Create and maintain complete, accurate, and serviceable electrical equipment documentation including as-built drawings, device settings, I/O lists, wire and cable schedules, network drawings, component specifications, test records, software and parameter backups, change records, troubleshooting guides, and recommended spare parts. 

• Support equipment installation, electrical checkout, debug, startup, commissioning, operator and technician training, and production ramp at Silfex and supplier locations. 

• Provide hands-on technical support when complex electrical issues require direct machine evaluation, testing, or coordination with the equipment supplier. 

• Manage and support domestic and international suppliers to improve electrical design quality, component selection, documentation, repeatability, reliability, and long-term equipment support. 

• Coordinate with mechanical design, controls/software, manufacturing engineering, maintenance, EHS, quality, operations, supply chain, facilities, and suppliers to deliver safe and reliable production equipment. 

• Manage multiple concurrent equipment projects with a focus on electrical design quality, safety, cost, delivery, reliability, maintainability, and long-term supportability. 

• Proactively identify electrical design and component risks and engineer practical solutions before problems occur. 

Culture 

• Display a positive attitude and strong work ethic that reflects the Mission and Core Values of Silfex. 

• Create and maintain a culture where workplace safety is part of everything we do. Provide the safest possible workplace by modeling and following all company safety policies, reporting incidents or unsafe conditions immediately, and wearing all PPE required by the work area or job function. 

• Communicate boldly and effectively with empathy and respect to inspire teamwork and collaboration vertically and horizontally within Silfex. 

• Demonstrate ownership of continuous improvement ideas and activities. Assist in applying lean manufacturing concepts and 5S and maintain organization, cleanliness, and housekeeping within the work area. 

Qualifications 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Controls Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related technical discipline, with a minimum of 8 years of hands-on equipment design experience; or a Master’s degree in a related discipline with a minimum of 6 years of hands-on equipment design experience. 

• 10+ years of experience designing the electrical portion of custom machines, automation systems, CNC equipment, semiconductor equipment, or other complex manufacturing equipment is preferred. 

• Proven ability to take industrial equipment electrical design from concept through detailed design, supplier build, test, installation, commissioning, and production support. 

• Advanced ability to create, read, and review industrial electrical schematics, control panel layouts, wiring diagrams, cable drawings, I/O lists, electrical bills of material, and machine interface documentation. 

• Strong knowledge of industrial power distribution, branch circuits, motor circuits, variable-frequency drives, servo systems, PLC hardware, HMI hardware, machine safety circuits, sensors, instrumentation, grounding, shielding, and electrical noise control. 

• Experience specifying and applying electrical components based on voltage, current, load, duty cycle, environmental conditions, heat, contamination, expected life, safety, reliability, serviceability, availability, and total cost of ownership. 

• Working knowledge of electrical CAD or ECAD software used to develop machine electrical drawings and documentation. 

• Experience with PLC-controlled equipment, CNC controllers, industrial communication networks, motion control, robotics, and automated manufacturing systems. 

• Ability to troubleshoot electrical systems at the component, circuit, panel, subsystem, communication, and complete-machine levels. 

• Experience using electrical test equipment and diagnostic tools safely and effectively in industrial equipment environments. 

• Knowledge of applicable industrial electrical, control panel, machinery, and functional safety standards such as NFPA 70, NFPA 79, UL 508A, IEC 60204-1, and ISO 13849. 

• Knowledge of reliability engineering and problem-solving methods including FMEA, DFMEA, PFMEA, MTBF, MTTR, fault-tree analysis, root cause analysis, risk assessment, failure trend analysis, and corrective action. 

• Experience developing electrical preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, condition monitoring, spare-parts, component lifecycle, and obsolescence plans. 

• Ability to convert failure data, maintenance history, technician feedback, and production issues into electrical design changes and clear action plans that improve uptime, safety, quality, and cost performance. 

• Experience performing supplier design reviews and supporting factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, equipment startup, and production ramp. 

• Demonstrated ability to anticipate problems and develop proactive solutions. 

• Strong work ethic, self-motivated, and committed to high standards of quality and accountability. 

• Comfortable working in both design and hands-on equipment build, test, and production environments. 

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage project timelines, technical risks, and budgets. 

• Strong project management, organizational, technical writing, and communication skills. 

• Ability to travel up to 10% both domestic and international. 

• Ability to utilize computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, email, manufacturing software, electrical design software, and statistical software. 

Preferred Experience 

• Experience in semiconductor, precision machining, silicon, ceramics, grinding, lapping, polishing, cleaning, metrology, robotics, or other high-precision manufacturing environments. 

• Experience with CNC machine tools, Siemens or FANUC controls, PLC ladder logic, servo motion systems, industrial robots, machine vision, probing, laser measurement, and automated material handling. 

• Experience developing or reviewing control panels built to UL 508A requirements and machinery electrical systems designed to NFPA 79 or IEC 60204-1 requirements. 

• Experience with functional safety design, safety PLCs, safety relays, risk reduction, performance level calculations, safety validation, and machine safeguarding interfaces. 

• Experience with electrical reliability testing, accelerated life testing, component derating, power quality monitoring, thermography, current monitoring, vibration-related electrical failures, or machine health monitoring systems. 

• Experience with equipment software and parameter backup, version control, engineering change control, and configuration management. 

• Certified Reliability Engineer, functional safety certification, UL 508A training, Professional Engineer license, or similar electrical or reliability credential preferred. 

Physical Demands 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to walk, sit, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, and talk or hear. 

The employee is occasionally required to lift up to 50 pounds and regularly required to lift up to 10 pounds. Vision requirements include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to work near moving mechanical parts and fumes or airborne particles. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions. The noise level in the environment is moderate. 

Our Commitment 

We believe it is important for every person to feel valued, included, and empowered to achieve their full potential. By bringing unique individuals and viewpoints together, we achieve extraordinary results. 

Silfex Inc., A Lam Research Company, is an equal opportunity employer. Final equal opportunity and non-discrimination language should be reviewed and approved by Human Resources before posting. 

Our Commitment

We believe it is important for every person to feel valued, included, and empowered to achieve their full potential. By bringing unique individuals and viewpoints together, we achieve extraordinary results.

Silfex Inc., A Lam Research Company ("Silfex" or the "Company"), is an equal opportunity employer. Silfex is committed to and reaffirms support of equal opportunity in employment and non-discrimination in employment policies, practices and procedures on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. It is the Company's intention to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees.