Director, Technical Support Engineering
FormFactor · California
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $192k–$253k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 12+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 18 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at FormFactor (industrial) in California. (NASDAQ: FORM), is a leading provider of essential test and measurement technologies along the full semiconductor product life cycle — from characterization, modeling, reliability, and design de-bug, to qualification and production test.
- They ask for
- 12+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, FMEA
- Base pay
- $192k–$253k
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 $117k–$170k. This one lists $192k–$253k.
Median of the low and high ends of 128 live postings that list pay, out of 348 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 347 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 65% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (12+ vs 5+)
Typical $111k–$159k, from 113 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 51%
- ✓ New product launch 49%
- ✓ Root cause 39%
- Automation 35%
- CATIA / NX 27%
- Machining 27%
✓ = 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 FormFactor
We found 3 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role, 1 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 Ken → (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
Apply with someone vouching for you
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.
Full description from FormFactorAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
& Experiences
- ✓Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Semiconductor Engineering, or related technical discipline.
- ✓Master's degree preferred.
- ✓Technical engineering, customer support, field service, or semiconductor equipment experience.
- ✓Leadership experience managing technical engineering or support organizations.
- ✓Proven experience leading global technical teams in a complex, customer-facing environment.
- ✓Strong understanding of semiconductor manufacturing, test, measurement, wafer probing, or adjacent semiconductor capital equipment markets.
- ✓Experience supporting products across the full lifecycle from NPI through sustaining engineering and end-of-life.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Forming Our Future together
FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ: FORM), is a leading provider of essential test and measurement technologies along the full semiconductor product life cycle — from characterization, modeling, reliability, and design de-bug, to qualification and production test. Semiconductor companies rely upon FormFactor’s products and services to accelerate profitability by optimizing device performance and advancing yield knowledge. The company serves customers through its network of facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America.
Rooted in our core values — Focus on the Customer, Ownership & Accountability, Respectfully & Effectively Communicate, and Motivate & Develop People — we foster an environment where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but celebrated. Everyone can make an impact here. Whether it's improving products, supporting customers, or positively influencing peers and the community, the contributions of our people matter.
Shift
The regular hours for this position are day shift.
Job Description
The Director of Technical Support Engineering is responsible for leading FormFactor's global technical support engineering function, serving as the highest level of product and application expertise within the service organization. This leader drives technical escalation management, service readiness, engineering collaboration, and customer issue resolution across a global network of field, regional, and factory service teams.
The role provides strategic leadership for product technical support, advanced troubleshooting, failure analysis, NPI service readiness, service documentation, training standards, and continuous improvement initiatives. Working closely with Engineering, Product Management, Manufacturing, Quality, and Global Service Operations, the Director ensures customers receive world-class technical support throughout the product lifecycle while enabling scalable and profitable service delivery.
Technical Support Leadership
- •Lead the global Technical Support Engineering organization supporting all FormFactor product lines.
- •Establish and manage a structured multi-level technical escalation process.
- •Serve as executive owner for complex customer escalations and systemic product performance issues.
- •Drive rapid root-cause analysis and corrective actions to minimize customer downtime.
- •Establish service engineering standards, best practices, and troubleshooting methodologies.
Product Technical Expertise
- •Develop and maintain deep product expertise across hardware, software, applications, and manufacturing processes.
- •Oversee advanced troubleshooting, failure analysis, and corrective action programs.
- •Act as the technical bridge between Service, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Product Management.
- •Drive continuous improvements in product reliability, serviceability, and customer experience.
Global Service Readiness
- •Develop global support strategies to enable successful product deployment across all regions.
- •Ensure technical consistency across site support centers, regional service centers, factory repair centers, and partner organizations.
- •Create standardized troubleshooting procedures, service documentation, and repair methodologies.
- •Define service qualification criteria prior to field deployment.
- •Partner with field service leadership to ensure effective knowledge transfer and capability development.
Training and Knowledge Management
- •Own global technical training strategy and certification programs.
- •Develop technical competency models and career development pathways.
- •Build scalable knowledge management systems and technical documentation infrastructure.
- •Ensure field engineers and regional teams have the technical expertise required to support customers independently.
Operational Excellence
- •Define and measure technical support KPIs including:
- •Escalation closure time
- •Root cause completion rate
- •First-time resolution rate
- •Product reliability trends
- •Service readiness metrics
- •Customer satisfaction outcomes
- •Drive continuous improvement projects focused on quality, efficiency, and customer experience.
- •Utilize data, Voice of Customer feedback, and operational metrics to guide improvement initiatives.
Leadership and Team Development
- •Build, coach, and develop a global team of Technical Support Engineers and Subject Matter Experts.
- •Foster a customer-focused, collaborative, and accountable culture.
- •Establish succession plans and technical talent development programs.
- •Lead cross-functional initiatives that improve organizational effectiveness and customer outcomes.
Technical Competencies
- •Advanced troubleshooting and root-cause analysis expertise.
- •Product lifecycle management experience.
- •Failure Analysis and FMEA experience.
- •Service readiness and Design for Serviceability methodologies.
- •Technical escalation management.
- •Reliability engineering and continuous improvement tools.
- •Strong understanding of quality systems and customer support processes.
Successful candidates will demonstrate
- •Strong customer focus and commitment to service excellence.
- •Strategic thinking with operational executi