Principal Manufacturing Process Engineer - Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Originally posted 19 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
FormFactor is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Process Engineer to support and improve photolithography and etch processes within a high-volume semiconductor manufacturing environment. The role focuses on sustaining manufacturing operations, executing process improvements, and analyzing process performance to drive yield, quality, throughput, and cost targets.
What you'll do
- Support characterization, optimization, and control of photolithography and etch manufacturing processes using Statistical Process Control (SPC) and process capability metrics (Cp/Cpk). - Design, execute, and analyze Design of Experiments (DOE) activities to optimize processes. - Investigate process excursions, defects, and yield losses using structured problem-solving methodologies and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). - Conduct risk assessments utilizing PFMEA, control plans, and related methodologies. - Support calibration programs and Measurement System Analysis (MSA/GR&R) activities alongside quality and equipment teams. - Support capital equipment installations, qualifications, process transfers, and technology transfers.
What you'll need
- Minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 3 years with a Master’s degree; or a PhD without experience; or equivalent work. - Experience with photolithography and etch processes within manufacturing operations. - Direct experience applying Statistical Process Control (SPC), process capability metrics (Cp/Cpk), and Design of Experiments (DOE). - Proficiency with root cause analysis (RCA), CAPA implementation, and PFMEA methodologies. - Experience utilizing Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
Nice to have
- Experience supporting semiconductor wafer fabrication, thin film, plating, metrology, MEMS, advanced packaging, assembly, or test processes. - Experience supporting process transfers, technology transfers, new product introductions (NPI), or manufacturing scale-up activities. - Familiarity with ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100, ISO 13485, or similar quality management systems. - Six Sigma Green Belt certification or equivalent continuous improvement training.
Skills: photolithography, etch processes, SPC, DOE, yield
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 79-day median for Process Engineering roles.
Process Engineering · Semiconductor Process
|
Open roles in category
1035
|
Median days open
79 d
|
Median salary
$139k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | FormFactor | All employers we track in this specialty (1035 roles · 56 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 8 | 1035 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 116 | 9979 · 109 employers |
| Median days open | 57 d | 79 d (−22 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $139k |
Skills observed across this category: photolithography, etch processes, SPC, DOE, yield
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 351 open roles · median 139 d
- GlobalFoundries · 77 open roles · median 118 d
- Applied Materials · 74 open roles · median 74 d
- Texas Instruments · 54 open roles · median 54 d
- STMicroelectronics · 51 open roles · median 53 d
- Entegris · 43 open roles · median 38 d
How we counted: 1035 open Process Engineering (Semiconductor Process) roles from 56 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 19 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.