Manager Metrology Equipment Engineering - San Jose, United States
Originally posted 5 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role is for an experienced and strategic Metrology Equipment Engineering Manager to lead a team of Metrology Equipment Engineers supporting wafer manufacturing operations in San Jose and Fremont. You will lead the technical direction, operational performance, and continuous improvement of the wafer metrology equipment fleet, ensuring measurement systems meet the precision and throughput demands of HDD wafer production.
What you'll do
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Metrology Equipment Engineers, fostering technical excellence and continuous learning.
- Serve as the primary technical escalation point for all wafer metrology equipment issues, driving rapid resolution using structured problem-solving methodologies.
- Manage and prioritize workload across the team, aligning metrology engineering resources with production urgency, quality risk, and strategic program milestones.
- Oversee the operation, calibration, qualification, and maintenance of the full wafer metrology equipment portfolio, including optical, SEM, and physical measurement systems.
- Identify and lead equipment and process improvement initiatives to enhance measurement accuracy, throughput, cost-effectiveness, and data quality.
- Communicate metrology equipment status, risks, and improvement initiatives clearly to manufacturing, quality, process integration, and senior leadership stakeholders.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline.
- 7+ years of experience in metrology, semiconductor equipment engineering, or a related manufacturing engineering discipline.
- 2+ years of demonstrated people management or formal technical leadership experience.
- Hands-on expertise with wafer metrology equipment such as optical profilometers, ellipsometers, SEM/CD-SEM, overlay measurement tools, or comparable precision measurement systems.
- Strong foundation in measurement systems analysis (MSA), GRR, SPC, and statistical data analysis.
- Demonstrated ability to manage escalations, drive root cause analysis, and communicate effectively under time pressure.
- Proficiency with data analysis tools such as Python, JMP, or equivalent.
Nice to have
- Experience in HDD, MEMS, or advanced semiconductor wafer manufacturing environments.
- Familiarity with AI/ML-assisted data analysis, predictive maintenance platforms, or advanced process control systems.
- Working knowledge of pFMEA, DMAIC, or equivalent structured quality improvement frameworks.
- Experience managing supplier relationships and leading supplier performance reviews.
- Demonstrated track record of building and developing high-performing engineering teams.
This role has been open 3 days — well below the 53-day median for Semiconductor Equipment Engineering roles.
Semiconductor Equipment Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
3718
|
Median days open
53 d
|
Median salary
$126k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Western Digital | All employers we track in this specialty (3718 roles · 82 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 80 | 3718 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 172 | 9729 · 107 employers |
| Median days open | 67 d | 53 d (+14 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $126k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Applied Materials · 613 open roles · median 52 d
- Lam Research · 545 open roles · median 43 d
- Micron Technology · 269 open roles · median 44 d
- KLA Corporation · 254 open roles · median 66 d
- ASML · 198 open roles · median 64 d
- ASM International · 157 open roles · median 78 d
How we counted: 3718 open Semiconductor Equipment Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 82 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Figures refresh nightly.