Sr. Principal Plating Engineer - Livermore, CA, United States
$136,200 - $178,815 USD yearly
Originally posted 21 July 2026 by the employer.
Develop advanced electroplating technologies, plating bath chemistries, and metallurgical innovations for MEMS probe fabrication.
About the role
The Sr. Principal Plating Engineer (MEMS R&D) defines, develops, and implements advanced electroplating technologies, metallurgical innovations, and process integration strategies for MEMS probe fabrication. This technical role focuses on electrochemistry, materials science, semiconductor processing, and advanced metallurgy across MEMS probe fabrication workflows.
What you'll do
- Define and execute long-range technology roadmaps for advanced electroplating processes, materials, and metallurgical innovations supporting MEMS probe technologies. - Serve as the subject matter expert in electroplating, electroless deposition, electrochemistry, and metallurgical process development. - Design and execute complex Design of Experiments (DOE) to develop, optimize, scale, and document electrodeposition processes for vertical probe technologies. - Establish process windows, operating specifications, and control methodologies across plating bath chemistry, deposit morphology, stress management, and grain structure control. - Perform materials characterization using SEM, EDS/EDAX, FIB, and microscopy to evaluate composition, microstructure, purity, and root cause plating defects. - Collaborate with R&D, Product Development, Process Integration, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to evaluate manufacturability and materials selection.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree with at least 8 years of related experience, Master's degree with 6 years, PhD with 3 years, or equivalent experience. - Technical expertise in electrochemistry, electroless plating, electroplating, and materials engineering. - Demonstrated background in semiconductor fabrication, semiconductor development, and MEMS fabrication workflows. - Hands-on experience with analytical characterization techniques including SEM, EDS/EDAX, FIB, and microscopy. - Demonstrated experience designing and executing complex Design of Experiments (DOE) and establishing electrochemical process controls.
Skills: electroplating technologies, metallurgical innovations, MEMS probe fabrication, process development, materials science, electrochemistry
This role has been open 90 days — well above 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: electroplating technologies, metallurgical innovations, MEMS probe fabrication, process development, materials science, electrochemistry
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.