Mechanical Engineering Manager (Central Engineering)

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.

We are looking for an experienced Mechanical Engineering Manager to join our Central Engineering team in Newport, Wales.

In this role, you will lead and provide technical guidance to an engineering team supporting projects across KLA's product divisions. Working closely with global engineering teams and key stakeholders, you will ensure the successful delivery of innovative engineering solutions while driving technical excellence, collaboration and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will combine a strong mechanical engineering foundation with proven people leadership, sound technical judgement, and the ability to work effectively across multiple disciplines, product groups and international teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and develop a growing multidisciplinary team, creating an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing environment. 

• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and product groups, ensuring priorities, requirements and expectations are aligned. 

• Provide technical guidance and informed oversight on mechanical engineering activity, while empowering subject-matter experts across the wider team. 

• Lead complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, balancing technical, commercial, quality and schedule considerations. 

• Support the full mechanical design lifecycle where required, including requirements definition, feasibility, design reviews, supplier engagement, system integration and testing. 

• Drive continuous improvement, innovation and consistent engineering practice across the team. 

• Manage direct employees, contractors and external suppliers as required, with clear accountability for quality and delivery. 

• Support team growth through recruitment, onboarding, coaching and professional development. 

• Work collaboratively with global colleagues and stakeholders, including travel to the United States and other international locations. 

Minimum Qualifications

Essential experience and capabilities 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline. 

• Proven experience leading and developing people within a mechanical engineering or technical environment. 

• A strong mechanical engineering background, with the credibility to guide technical teams and contribute to engineering decisions. 

• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and working across different technical specialisms. 

• Strong stakeholder-management skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with multiple product groups and global teams. 
• Knowledge of mechanical design tools and methods such as 3D CAD, design for manufacture, GD&T, FEA or CFD. 
• Experience working with contractors, subcontractors, turn-key suppliers or component suppliers. 

Occasional domestic and international travel (up to 20%), including to the United States, may be required as part of this role.

Our Benefits package includes:

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

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.