Principal Process Engineer, Etch

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. The SPTS division provides advanced wafer processing solutions—including etch, deposition and vapor-based technologies—designed for R&D through high-volume production. With a global presence and strong customer support network, SPTS helps manufacturers across industries improve performance, yield and cost-efficiency. It also offers comprehensive service and spare parts through a worldwide network of service centers and qualified local agents.

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.

The Principal Process Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for the development, optimization, and control of advanced etch processes. This role drives innovation, resolves complex technical challenges, and ensures robust production performance.

In addition, this role will have a simulation & modelling element; to apply physics-based and computational models that accelerate product development and technology innovation. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to solve complex technical challenges, optimise system performance, and provide data-driven insights that guide design decisions

Key responsibilities

• Lead development and qualification of advanced plasma process technologies.
• Drive process optimization to meet customer specifications.
• Develop and validate simulation models for complex engineering systems.
• Perform CFD, plasma, thermal, electromagnetic, or multi-physics modelling.
• Analyse simulation results and correlate with experimental data.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for reliability issues.
• Mentor engineers and define best practices.
• Interface with customers for demos, qualifications, and issue resolution.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including hardware, software, NPI and manufacturing.
• Liaise with fields teams to ensure successful transfer of processes to field.
• Establish process control strategies and SPC framework.
• Lead in key PLC etch projects.
• Deliver on etch roadmap targets.
• Research published work relevant to KLA's process development
• Write invention disclosures/patent applications
• Write technical papers for publication at conferences, seminars etc.
• Communicate results and ideas to management, co-workers, and other teams across the business.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Experience with semiconductor equipment hardware and process interactions.
• Experience with simulation and modelling tools such as COMSOL, ANSYS, MATLAB/Simulink, OpenFOAM, or Python.
• Experience with semiconductor processes, plasma modelling, CFD, or digital twins is advantageous.
• Strong knowledge and utllisation of DOE and statistical analysis.
• Familiarity in failure analysis and defect characterization.
• Data-driven mindset with strong analytical skills
• Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving capability.
• Excellent communication across technical and executive audiences.
• Results driven with strong ownership and accountability.
• Hands-on experience on plasma etch equipment and metrology such as SEM
• Excellent time-management / multi-tasking skills to deliver results within strictly defined timelines
• Endpoint methods/OES experience
• Experience in DOE, 8D, process optimization.
• Experience in Process simulation COMSOL, ANSYS, MATLAB/Simulink, OpenFOAM, or Python would be an advantage.

What we will offer you?

Annual leave starting at 25 days (plus bank holidays), share scheme, contributory pension scheme, cash health plan, cycle to work scheme, global bonus plan, rewards scheme, life assurance.

Occasional domestic and international travel, including to the United States, may be required as part of this role (subject to business requirements) to support customer installations and development activities. Occasional shift work may also be required. Certain roles at KLA may require permits, licenses or other approvals to access specific technologies, systems or information, and obtaining such approvals may form part of the assessment process for the role.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ideally hold a MSc/PhD in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or related field, PhD preferred or hold equivalent level of experience.

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.

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.

We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.

KLA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.