Principal Process Engineer

About this role

Forming Our Future together FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM), is a leading provider of essential test and measurement technologies along the full semiconductor product life cycle — from characterization, modeling, reliability, and design de-bug, to qualification and production test. Semiconductor companies rely upon FormFactor’s products and services to accelerate profitability by optimizing device performance and advancing yield knowledge. The company serves customers through its network of facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Rooted in our core values — Focus on the Customer, Ownership & Accountability, Respectfully & Effectively Communicate, and Motivate & Develop People — we foster an environment where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but celebrated. Everyone can make an impact here. Whether it's improving products, supporting customers, or positively influencing peers and the community, the contributions of our people matter.

Shift: The regular hours for this position are day shift.

Job Description: FormFactor is seeking a highly motivated Principal Process Engineer to lead the development, optimization, control, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes within a high-volume semiconductor manufacturing environment. As a key technical contributor, this role serves as the process owner for critical manufacturing operations, driving improvements in yield, quality, reliability, throughput, and cost while supporting new product introductions, process transfers, and manufacturing scale-up initiatives.

The Principal Process Engineer partners closely with Manufacturing, Equipment Engineering, Product Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, and R&D teams to solve complex technical challenges, implement process innovations, and ensure robust, scalable manufacturing processes that support business objectives.

This position requires strong technical expertise, data-driven decision-making, project leadership, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams in a dynamic manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Advanced Process Engineering • Serve as the technical owner for one or more critical manufacturing processes.

• Lead process characterization, optimization, and control activities to improve process capability, stability, and manufacturing performance.

• Design, execute, and analyze complex Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize process windows and operating parameters.

• Develop and implement statistical process control (SPC) methodologies, process monitoring plans, and control strategies.

• Analyze process capability metrics (Cp/Cpk), identify variation sources, and drive corrective actions.

• Lead failure analysis and root-cause investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies.

• Evaluate interactions between materials, equipment, tooling, environmental conditions, and manufacturing processes.

• Develop engineering specifications, process standards, qualification protocols, manufacturing procedures, and work instructions.

• Lead process qualifications, validations, and technology transfer activities across manufacturing operations.

• Support new product introductions (NPI), production ramp-ups, and process commercialization efforts.

Yield, Quality & Reliability Improvement • Drive initiatives that improve product yield, process reliability, and manufacturing robustness.

• Lead defect reduction programs through advanced statistical analysis and engineering methodologies.

• Conduct nonconformance investigations and determine corrective actions.

• Lead corrective and preventive action (CAPA) activities to address recurring manufacturing issues.

• Apply PFMEA, control plans, risk assessments, and failure mode analysis to mitigate manufacturing risk.

• Develop sustainable solutions that improve long-term process capability and operational performance.

• Ensure compliance with applicable quality management systems and manufacturing standards.

Manufacturing Excellence & Continuous Improvement • Lead Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Facilitate Kaizen events focused on process optimization and waste elimination.

• Implement error-proofing (Poka-Yoke) solutions to improve quality and reduce variability.

• Drive cycle-time reduction, throughput improvement, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) initiatives.

• Lead manufacturing cost reduction projects while maintaining product quality and reliability.

• Standardize processes, operating methods, and best practices across manufacturing operations.

• Support capacity planning and long-term manufacturing scalability initiatives.

• Manage multiple high-priority projects and technical initiatives simultaneously.

Automation & Manufacturing Technology • Support process automation and manufacturing digitization strategies.

• Collaborate on robotics integration, machine vision applications, equipment automation, and smart manufacturing initiatives.

• Partner with Equipment Engineering teams to improve equipment-to-host communication, traceability, and data collection capabilities.

• Support Industry 4.0 projects that enhance manufacturing visibility, process control, and operational efficiency.

• Evaluate and implement automated data collection and manufacturing analytics solutions.

• Assist with manufacturing software integration and digital transformation initiatives.

Cross-Functional Leadership • Lead cross-functional engineering projects with measurable operational impact.

• Collaborate with Operations, Manufacturing, Equipment Engineering, Product Engineering, Quality, Facilities, Supply Chain, and R&D teams.

• Influence technical decisions through data-driven analysis and engineering expertise.

• Support supplier, customer, contractor, and equipment vendor interactions related to process performance and improvement initiatives.

• Present technical findings, recommendations, and project updates to managem

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