Principal Product Manufacturing Engineer
FormFactor · California
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $100k–$131k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 5+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 2 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior 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
- 5+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, AutoCAD
- Base pay
- $100k–$131k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $111k–$168k. This one lists $100k–$131k.
Median of the low and high ends of 139 live postings that list pay, out of 368 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 367 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 14% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Typical (5+ years)
Typical $110k–$159k, from 122 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 52%
- New product launch 49%
- ✓ Root cause 40%
- Automation 36%
- CATIA / NX 28%
- Machining 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for AutoCAD, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with 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
requirements
into manufacturable product solutions.
Working with a high degree of independence, the Principal Product Manufacturing Engineer analyzes customer and device requirements, assesses technical feasibility, identifies potential risks, and recommends solutions that balance customer needs with product and manufacturing capabilities. This role provides technical guidance throughout the customer engagement process and helps enable successful product adoption, manufacturability, and execution.
The ideal candidate combines strong engineering judgment, customer-facing communication skills, and a proactive, data-driven approach to solving complex technical problems.
requirements
to determine product applicability, feasibility, and manufacturability.
- ✓Translate customer
requirements
into clear technical specifications, recommendations, and solutions.
- ✓Identify technical risks, constraints, and potential integration challenges early in the application process.
- ✓Apply engineering principles, product knowledge, and data analysis to resolve complex or ambiguous application challenges.
- ✓Serve as a technical resource for application-specific questions and product capability assessments.
requirements
and support technical alignment.
- ✓Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Product Management to evaluate customer
requirements
and develop solutions that can be successfully manufactured and supported.
- ✓Lead or support technical discussions related to complex customer applications, product capability, manufacturability, and issue resolution.
requirements
to identify opportunities for product, process, or capability improvements.
- ✓Develop and maintain technical standards, application guidelines, best practices, and other documentation that supports consistent execution.
- ✓Share technical knowledge and best practices with engineering and customer-facing teams.
- ✓Contribute technical insight to product and process improvements that enhance manufacturability, scalability, quality, and the overall customer experience.
Education & Experience
Minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 3 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD without experience; or equivalent work | Required
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
We are seeking an experienced and customer-focused Principal Product Manufacturing Engineer to evaluate the applicability of our products and technical capabilities for new and evolving customer silicon devices. This role serves as a critical technical link between customers, Sales, Field Applications, Product Management, Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing, helping translate complex customer
Technical Applications & Product Expertise
- •Develop and maintain advanced knowledge of the company’s products, technologies, manufacturing capabilities, and application requirements.
- •Independently evaluate complex customer silicon devices and technical
Customer & Cross-Functional Partnership
- •Serve as a key technical interface supporting Sales, Marketing, Field Applications, Customer Support Engineering, Product Management, and other internal stakeholders.
- •Communicate technical recommendations, trade-offs, risks, and product capabilities clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- •Engage with customer engineering and procurement organizations as needed to clarify
Technical Problem Solving
- •Investigate complex application, product, and manufacturability issues using structured problem-solving and data-driven engineering methods.
- •Coordinate cross-functional technical investigations and drive issues toward timely resolution.
- •Perform root-cause analysis and recommend corrective or preventive actions when application requirements, product performance, or manufacturing capabilities do not align.
- •Exercise independent technical judgment when evaluating multiple solution paths and determining appropriate recommendations.
New Product & Customer Introduction
- •Support the technical evaluation and introduction of new customer devices, applications, and product configurations.
- •Partner with engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure proposed solutions are technically viable and manufacturable.
- •Identify opportunities to improve application readiness, technical evaluation methods, and handoffs between customer-facing and manufacturing organizations.
- •Provide technical input that helps accelerate customer qualification and successful product introduction.
Continuous Improvement
- •Identify and lead improvements to application engineering tools, test methods, technical documentation, workflows, and integration processes.
- •Analyze recurring technical issues and customer
Skills
Abstract Thinking, Autodesk AutoCAD, CAD Tools, Communication, Microsoft Office, Scripting
Pay Range
$99,600.00 - $130,725.00
Pay Range Explained
This role in Sacramento, California pays between $99,600.00 and $130,725.00 per y