Working with a high degree of independence, the Principal Applications 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.
Key Responsibilities
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
Skills
Abstract Thinking, Autodesk AutoCAD, CAD Tools, Communication, Microsoft Office, Scripting
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
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 year, depending on your experience, skills, and background. Pay may vary in other locations. We offer a full benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability coverage, a 401(k) with company match, employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), and paid time off. You’ll also be eligible for quarterly profit-sharing bonuses and flexible spending or savings accounts.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
FormFactor is an equal opportunity employer. FormFactor complies with all national, state, and local laws that seek to promote equal opportunities for any applicant or employee without regard to age, race, color, gender, gender identity/expression, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, disability, marital status, pregnancy or related condition, military service, or any other legally protected characteristics. These protections apply to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotions, and compensation.
For roles that are designated as remote-eligible, employees cannot be located in: AL, AK, AR, DE, GA, HI, IL, IA, LA, ME, MD, MS, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, ND, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, WV, WI, WY. This list is continuously evolving and being updated, please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list. A role is remote-eligible only when it is listed as "Remote" in the job location.
