Director, Optical Engineering
Applied Materials · Santa Clara, CA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $210k–$289k
- Experience asked
- 20+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 23 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at Applied Materials (industrial) in Santa Clara, CA.
- They ask for
- 20+ years
- Tools it names
- Tooling
- Base pay
- $210k–$289k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$167k. This one lists $210k–$289k.
Median of the low and high ends of 117 live postings that list pay, out of 320 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 319 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 87% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (20+ vs 5+)
Typical $111k–$157k, from 105 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Tooling 53%
- New product launch 51%
- Root cause 40%
- Automation 35%
- Machining 29%
- CATIA / NX 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Applied Materials
We found 7 people at this company and state: 3 in this kind of role, 4 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Nicholas → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
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If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Applied Materials in Santa Clara
47 other open roles at this site · 7 people we found in manufacturing roles at Applied Materials.
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- Product Quality & Reliability Engineer IV (E4) · Quality · Senior
- Process Engineer · Process
- Process Engineer III · Process · Senior
- Mgr, Process Engineer · Process
- Process Engineer ||| - Plasma · Process
Full description from Applied MaterialsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Key Responsibilities
The Optical Engineering Director – Imagine and Process Control Group (IPC) will own technically leadership and/or execution of engineering projects and spearhead research and development of new technologies as appropriate. This person will lead an Engineering team, and partner will business leaders on new and existing products/projects.
Key Responsibilities
- ◆Managing a team of Optical Engineers across multiple programs
- ◆Lead and/or develop and execute significantly complex system projects. Oversees and approves designs in team design reviews. Takes active part in the design of complex modules / sub-modules. Approve qualification results of complex modules
- ◆Defines experiments and determines the type of meaningful data required to support evaluation and technical decision
- ◆Problem identification and troubleshooting a wide range of significantly complex problems. Oversees and approves research and analysis results. Supports high level / complex physics related application and system issues in the lab and in the field when required.
- ◆Function as specialist for physics/scientists issues, while influencing and utilizing expertise in interfacing with external and internal customers, lead and/or develop and execute system projects, troubleshooting system problems, and defining system specifications and schedules. Regularly interacts with senior managers on matters involving several functional areas, departments or customers concerning projects, operations and schedules. Interactions require the ability to change thinking or gain the acceptance of others in sensitive situations. Reviews and approves system and sub-system
requirements
and specifications designed by other team members.
- ✓Apply advanced principles, theories, and concepts. Contributes to the development of new principles and concepts. Takes an active part in product risk management discussions leveraging his / her expertise and knowledge to influence and drive risk management decisions. Works with marketing to define tool specification and performance.
- ✓Initiates innovative physics/science projects, which extend boundaries of system performance or techno. Leads the selection and management of strategic vendors. Maintains relationships with outside customers of innovation, Universities, Consortia. Leads technological customer engagements driving innovation & development. Meets high level executives on the customer side effecting customer decision making
- ✓Provide mentoring for less experienced physicist/scientists.
- ✓Research new technologies and analyze competition technology. Evaluate new technologies. Plan and execute complex feasibility studies of new technologies and lead the decision-making process. Prepare and deliver papers regarding new technologies, share and promote new ideas and capabilities. Plans and executes feasibility studies of complete systems / sub-systems, leveraging new technologies and design concepts. Leads the demonstration of new capabilities and drives the decision-making process
Skills, Knowledge, Experience & Education
At Applied Materials, Make Possible® is about unlocking new opportunities – with our customers and within our own company.
requirements
to be characterized and validated during the system alpha testing phase for current and future products.
- ✓Use customer and system
requirements
to derive design specifications for subsystems, modules, and components and provide input to design engineers throughout the design process.
Oth
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Who We Are
Applied Materials is the global leader in materials science and engineering solutions that are at the foundation of virtually every new semiconductor chip and advanced display in the world. The equipment that we create and service is essential to advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of next-generation semiconductor chips. Join us and push the boundaries of materials science and engineering in a company at the foundation of the electronics industry. The work we do together advances the world’s technology.
What We Offer
Salary
$210,000.00 - $289,000.00
Location
Santa Clara,CA
You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more.
At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits .
The ideal candidate will have the following
- •20+ years of experience within the optical design engineering field (including 8+ yrs leading Engineering teams) for the development of high-performance optical systems used in the semiconductor industry.
- •Experience leading teams in all aspects of the design cycle from specification development, design, supplier support, part verification, and integration.
- •Provide support for system alignment procedures and tooling development.
- •Experience developing optical systems and have experience working in a product development environment.
- •Regarded as the technical expert in their particular field
- •Demonstrates in-depth and/or breadth of expertise in own discipline and broad knowledge of other disciplines within the function
- •Responsible for the development of major optical subsystems. Work with system engineers to develop design specifications and trade-offs between sub-systems.
- •Collaborate and communicate with suppliers during design of critical optical sub-assemblies.
- •Evaluate and analyze optical systems. Understand performance limits and manufacturability.
- •Develop alignment strategies and tooling.
- •Develop and maintain error budgets and define subsystem level