Senior Electrical Engineering Manager
MKS Instruments · Milpitas, CA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Reliability
- Base pay
- $155k–$259k
- Travel
- 15 %
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management reliability role at MKS Instruments (industrial) in Milpitas, CA. You will provide technical and organizational leadership for the development and sustaining of high-speed optical detector and receiver products.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required
- Base pay
- $155k–$259k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage · about 15 % travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Reliability Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $115k–$165k. This one lists $155k–$259k.
Median of the low and high ends of 61 live postings that list pay, out of 130 reliability 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 129 other live reliability postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 48% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 5+)
Typical $115k–$165k, from 60 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Root cause 71%
- FMEA 43%
- New product launch 42%
- Automation 32%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 28%
- SPC 20%
✓ = 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 Reliability team at MKS Instruments
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find 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.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- The posting says about 15 % travel. Between which sites?
- 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.
This plant: MKS Instruments in Milpitas
1 other open role at this site.
- Senior Optomechanical Packaging Engineer · Reliability · Senior
Full description from MKS InstrumentsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
definition, device architecture, photodiode and receiver design, analog front-end electronics, packaging, optical coupling, thermal management, test development, characterization, qualification, reliability, manufacturability, cost optimization, and production transfer.
- ✓Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Product Management to deliver successful products.
- ✓Plan and oversee your team's work across multiple concurrent development programs. Manage direct reports, establish objectives, provide coaching and mentorship, conduct performance reviews, support career development, and build organizational capability.
- ✓Work closely with marketing, applications, systems engineering, and key customers to translate market
requirements
into product specifications and development priorities.
- ✓Establish realistic schedules, identify technical and project risks, allocate resources effectively, and drive execution to meet product performance, quality, cost, and schedule objectives.
- ✓Travel
Requirements
Up to 15 % of Travel is required.
requirements
in commercial product development.
- ✓Demonstrated success bringing complex products from concept through qualification and production.
- ✓Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence across functions and build high-performing teams.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
A Day in Your Life at MKS
As a Senior Electrical Engineering Manager at MKS, you will provide technical and organizational leadership for the development and sustaining of high-speed optical detector and receiver products. You will partner with Product Management, Sales, Customers, and cross-functional engineering teams to translate market and customer needs into product strategies and successfully execute R&D programs from concept through production. In this role, you will report to the BU Engineering Director.
You Will Make an Impact By
- •Build and lead a world-class engineering team developing high-speed optical detector products and technologies from concept through volume production.
- •Be a key member of the technical leadership team driving the roadmap for next-generation optical receivers, photodiodes, detector modules, and photonic measurement solutions.
- •This is a hands-on technical leadership position requiring a deep understanding of optical, electrical, mechanical, and system-level design. You will lead and support engineering activities including
Skills You Bring
- •Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, Photonics, or a related technical field.
- •10+ years of industry experience in development of optical, optoelectronic, photonic, or high-speed electronic products.
- •5+ years of engineering management experience leading multidisciplinary product development teams.
- •Proven experience leading complex hardware development programs involving photodiodes, optical receivers, photonic instrumentation, or related technologies.
- •Strong understanding of high-speed analog electronics, photodetectors, optical systems, signal integrity, and system-level performance optimization.
- •Experience balancing performance, manufacturability, reliability, cost, schedule, and product
Preferred Skills
- +Experience with high-speed photodiodes, optical receivers, or optical communication components.
- +Experience with semiconductor detector technologies including InGaAs, Si, Ge, InP.
- +Familiarity with optical packaging, fiber coupling, RF interconnects, and high-frequency measurement techniques.
- +Experience with characterization equipment such as VNAs, oscilloscopes, BER testers, optical spectrum analyzers, and laser sources.
- +Knowledge of photonics manufacturing processes, supplier management, and product qualification.
We are interested in a qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we will not be sponsoring work visas for this position, at this time.