Director, Engineering

About this role

Who We Are

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips – the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world – like AI and IoT. If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world. 

What We Offer

Salary: $189,000.00 - $260,000.00 Location: Santa Clara,CA You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more. 

At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits . 

Director, Platform Engineering  

Vacuum and Atmospheric Mainframe, EFEM, Robotics, and Controls Platforms  

Job Description Summary  

Provides leadership and direction through managers and senior technical leaders for the global development of vacuum and atmospheric equipment platforms, including Mainframe, Equipment Front-End Module (EFEM), robotics, and control systems. Accountable for platform architecture, engineering design, system integration, design qualification, customer engagement, and product delivery across multiple Business Units. Contributes to functional strategy, establishes scalable platform roadmaps, and directs a broad engineering organization responsible for delivering differentiated, reliable, and manufacturable platform solutions in collaboration with internal partners, customers, and suppliers.  

Key Responsibilities  

•    Lead a global, multidisciplinary engineering organization responsible for the architecture, design, integration, qualification, and release of vacuum and atmospheric platforms, including Mainframe, EFEM, robotics, and control systems.  

•    Define the architecture and major elements of vacuum and atmospheric platforms, including Mainframe, EFEM, wafer-handling robotics, motion and automation controls, system boundaries, hardware and software interfaces, performance requirements, safety, serviceability, facilities, and configuration strategy.  

•    Own the end-to-end engineering lifecycle from concept and requirements through detailed design, design reviews, prototype integration, verification, qualification, release, and customer adoption.  

•    Partner with multiple Business Units to translate product and customer needs into clear project scope, engineering requirements specifications (eRS), interface requirements, priorities, schedules, and product delivery commitments.  

•    Establish a common platform strategy across vacuum and atmospheric systems, robotics, and controls that balances reuse and standardization with Business Unit-specific requirements, enabling faster product development, predictable integration, and lifecycle cost improvement.  

•    Direct design qualification and validation plans, including technical readiness criteria, risk retirement, reliability testing, compliance verification, issue closure, and release approval.  

•    Engage directly with customers to understand technology roadmaps, factory integration needs, use cases, and critical requirements; represent the platform organization in technical reviews, escalations, and roadmap discussions.  

•    Own the supplier engagement model for platform development, including requirements alignment, architecture and design reviews, development planning, qualification strategy, technical escalation, change control, and delivery performance.  

•    Work with senior leaders across engineering, product management, operations, supply chain, supplier quality, service, and Business Units to resolve cross-organizational tradeoffs and ensure alignment to business priorities.  

•    Anticipate future platform needs and initiate new engineering approaches, technologies, and development capabilities with significant product-line and customer impact.  

•    Provide executive-level accountability for systemic platform design, integration, qualification, supplier, and field issues affecting multiple products or customers.  

•    Define operating mechanisms, decision rights, technical governance, and performance metrics; report progress against quality, schedule, cost, risk, and product delivery goals.  

•    Recruit, develop, and retain a strong global engineering leadership team; build succession capability and a culture of technical excellence, ownership, collaboration, and disciplined execution.  

Functional Knowledge  

•    Deep expertise in semiconductor equipment platform engineering, with strong understanding of vacuum and atmospheric Mainframe and EFEM architectures, wafer-handling robotics, motion systems, control architecture, automation software, subsystem integration, mechanical and electrical design, facilities, safety, serviceability, and factory interfaces.  

•    Demonstrated ability to define modular system architectures, interface control requirements, configuration strategies, and platform standards that support multiple products and technology generations.  

•    Strong knowledge of systems engineering methods, requirements management, design reviews, risk analysis, verification and validation, reliability qualification, and product release processes.  

•    Working knowledge of vacuum and atmospheric wafer handling, robotics an

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