Staff Statistician

To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.

Group/Division

The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. KLA's Central Engineering organization is made up of nine Centers of Excellence (CoEs) spanning disciplines like automation, motion control, sensors, platform design, and packaging. Each CoE contributes not only technical deliverables but also deep expertise, best practices, and advanced tools that elevate both what we build—and how we build it.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise.

Preferred Qualifications

The Staff Statistician provides strategic leadership for applied statistics, probability modeling, and reliability analytics across KLA’s product, engineering and service organizations! The statistician is accountable for defining the enterprise statistical strategy, providing rigor and consistency in modeling approaches, and translating complex data into insights that inform product and process decisions and priorities. This role combines technical expertise with organizational leadership, influencing outcomes across multiple teams and programs rather than owning day‑to‑day execution alone.

Strategic Leadership

• Define and own KLA’s use of statistical methods in the product life cycle.

• Partner with senior engineering and product leaders to align statistical insights with business, roadmap, and risk decisions.

• Identify new opportunities for the application of statistical methods in a variety of areas.

• Foster a culture of statistical rigor, intellectual curiosity, and multi-functional collaboration.

Technical Leadership

• Define and deliver hands-on statistics' training to engineers

• Design, implement, and analyze experiments (e.g., DOE) to support product and process development, and equipment performance in our customer sites.

• Review and validate critical analyses that inform high‑impact product, quality, or customer decisions.

• Develop and maintain statistical models for manufacturing, process capability, measurement repeatability, equipment matching, equipment performance and equipment reliability.

• Perform root cause analysis using statistical tools to identify and resolve process and product issues.

• Create dashboards and software analytics for monitoring key indicators for manufacturing and field performance.

• Provide training and consulting to colleagues and teams on statistical methods, data analysis techniques, and best practices to foster a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision making.

Cross‑Functional Influence

• Serve as a trusted advisor to engineering, product, quality, and operations leadership.

• Form cross-functional teams to solve customer escalation problems

• Translate complex statistical results into clear, actionable narratives for executive and non‑technical audiences.

• Communicate statistical findings and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders and key customers, at any level of management and technical sophistication.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, or a related quantitative field.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a statistician or closely related role, preferably in a manufacturing, engineering, or high-tech environment.; 8+ years desired.

• Excellent training, communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

• Expert user of statistical software (e.g., JMP, Minitab, SPSS, R, or SAS). Some scripting and programming experience is desired.

• Strong understanding of experimental design, regression analysis, multivariate analysis, and process control.

• Demonstrated experience in analyzing large and complex datasets, as well as small datasets, for maximum insights.

Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) Degree and related work experience of 5 years; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 8 years;

About KLA

We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.

Total Rewards

Base Pay Range: $186,200.00 - $273,067.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA

KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Use of AI Statement 

At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.

Equal Opportunity Statement

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.

For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.