Senior Trainer, Manufacturing Operations - US - NJ - Somerset, United States

Originally posted 8 September 2026 by the employer.

Veeco's Somerset production organization needs to build advanced semiconductor equipment safely, correctly, and efficiently across multiple product platforms.

About the role

As a Senior Trainer, Manufacturing Operations, you will create a level-based qualification system to transform technical knowledge into repeatable capability across Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, and Final Test. Your efforts will improve technician readiness, troubleshooting consistency, out-of-box quality, and equipment uptime for ion beam deposition, ion beam etch, physical vapor deposition, diamond-like carbon, metal organic chemical vapor deposition, and optical coating systems.

What you'll do

• Build and continuously improve a level-based technical training and certification program that defines clear readiness standards.
• Qualify technicians to assemble, integrate, test, commission, and troubleshoot semiconductor capital equipment through classroom instruction, hands-on practice, on-the-job learning, written assessments, and practical demonstrations.
• Translate field failures, manufacturing defects, engineering changes, and lessons learned into realistic simulations, standardized troubleshooting methods, and updated training content.
• Establish platform-specific learning paths covering vacuum systems, gas delivery, radio frequency systems, plasma sources, programmable logic controls, safety interlocks, motion control, electrical power distribution, sensors, actuators, and process qualification.
• Create and govern qualification records, skills matrices, work instructions, training manuals, technical guides, visual aids, and a searchable knowledge base.
• Define escalation paths and teach structured problem solving, including design of experiments, Eight Disciplines, Five Whys, and fishbone analysis.

What you'll need

• Associate degree in science, engineering, or a related technical field and at least 8 years of relevant experience; equivalent military technical education and experience also qualify.
• Professional experience assembling, integrating, qualifying, or troubleshooting semiconductor process equipment in a manufacturing environment.
• Professional experience training or qualifying test, assembly, integration, or final test technicians in a manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on experience in several of these technical areas: vacuum technology, electromechanical systems, radio frequency systems, plasma systems, programmable logic controls, motion control, process controls, or equipment qualification.
• Experience creating technical training content, work instructions, qualification criteria, or certification records.
• Deep working knowledge of semiconductor equipment assembly, integration, startup, testing, process qualification, preventive maintenance, and systematic troubleshooting.
• Skilled in high-vacuum and ultra-high-vacuum operation, including cryogenic pumps, turbomolecular pumps, roughing pumps, leak detection, vacuum fault isolation, and residual gas analyzer data interpretation.
• Ability to read and teach from electrical schematics and process and instrumentation diagrams, then apply them to power distribution, sensor, actuator, interlock, and commissioning diagnostics.
• Knowledge of radio frequency generator operation, matching networks, plasma source fundamentals, arc detection, source alignment, beam characterization, and performance optimization.
• Ability to convert complex technical work into structured learning objectives, realistic practice scenarios, objective assessments, and clear qualification thresholds.

Skills: technical training, certification program, semiconductor capital equipment, assembly, integration, test, troubleshoot, vacuum technology, electromechanical systems