Sr. Process Engineer

Senior Front-End Process Engineer

Job Description:

IPG Photonics is seeking a Senior Front-End Process Engineer to provide primary technical ownership for laser diode chip-manufacturing processes from development through qualification, production transfer, and sustaining support. The role applies broad semiconductor-process knowledge across front-end operations to improve process control, yield, reliability, throughput, cost, and manufacturing readiness for existing and new products.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own assigned front-end chip processes from development and characterization through qualification, release, stabilization, and ongoing production support.

• Develop and improve semiconductor fabrication processes, equipment, materials, process windows, specifications, controls, and monitoring methods.

• Lead yield and process-capability improvement by analyzing production data, identifying loss mechanisms, and implementing robust corrective and preventive actions.

• Independently investigate diverse and nonroutine process, material, metrology, and equipment issues; evaluate technical alternatives and select or recommend the appropriate path.

• Plan and execute experiments using DOE, SPC, process capability analysis, and other statistical methods to understand process-to-performance relationships.

• Lead front-end process and equipment qualifications for new products, process changes, and manufacturing-capacity needs, including risk assessment, acceptance criteria, documentation, training, and production handoff.

• Define technical requirements and support selection, installation, qualification, and sustained performance of process and metrology equipment.

• Partner with R&D, Device Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Reliability, Equipment Engineering, and downstream operations to ensure process compatibility with product requirements.

• Assess process deviations and technical risk, establish containment and recovery actions, and escalate at critical quality, safety, capital, or business-risk points.

• Prepare technical reports and present conclusions, risks, and recommendations to technical and business stakeholders.

• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to engineers, technicians, and production personnel within assigned areas of expertise.

Location(s):

50 Old Webster Road, Oxford, Massachusetts 01540, United States

Requirements:

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with typically five or more years of relevant experience; or a master's degree with typically three or more years of relevant experience; or equivalent education and experience.

• Professional knowledge of semiconductor, photonics, microelectronics, or comparable precision-manufacturing processes.

• Demonstrated experience developing, qualifying, transferring, or sustaining complex manufacturing processes and equipment in a cleanroom or controlled environment.

• Working knowledge of DOE, SPC, process capability, structured problem solving, root-cause analysis, and engineering data analysis.

• Ability to independently plan technical work, make risk-based decisions, manage priorities, and communicate effectively across functions.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with compound-semiconductor or laser diode manufacturing, including wafer fabrication, surface preparation, thin-film processes, optical coatings, or related metrology.

• Experience connecting process conditions to optical, electrical, mechanical, or reliability performance.

• Experience qualifying capital equipment and transferring processes into volume manufacturing.

• Experience with statistical-analysis software and manufacturing data systems.