Senior Project Engineer, Product Upgrades

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Project Engineer to lead complex product upgrade and modification projects for our advanced abatement systems/ Pumps used in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing environments. This role is central to extending the lifespan, improving performance, and ensuring compliance of existing capital equipment.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of technical engineering expertise, exceptional project management skills, and proven experience managing projects that involve custom-engineered solutions or significant product modifications. This role requires navigating the rigorous demands of the semiconductor industry, prioritizing safety, efficiency, and minimal impact on customer fabrication timelines.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Leadership & Management (70%)

• Scope Definition & Control: Lead the definition of project scope, goals, and deliverables in collaboration with Product Management, R&D, and external customers. Rigorously manage scope changes (Change Requests) inherent in upgrade and custom design projects.
• Planning & Scheduling: Develop comprehensive project plans, schedules (Gantt charts), and resource allocation matrices, ensuring all project phasesfrom design validation to field implementation—are accurately sequenced and timed.
• Budget & Financial Control: Own and track project budgets, forecast resource needs, manage vendor/subcontractor quotations, and ensure projects are delivered within financial targets.
• Risk Management: Proactively identify, analyze, and mitigate project risks (technical, scheduling, cost, and safety-related), developing contingency plans for potential issues, especially those related to system integration during field deployment.
• Communication & Reporting: Serve as the primary point of contact for all project stakeholders. Provide clear, concise, and timely status reports to executive leadership and customers.

2. Technical Oversight & Execution (20%)

• Engineering Liaison: Act as the critical bridge between the customer-facing teams (Sales, Service) and internal engineering/design teams (Mechanical, Electrical, Software) to translate customer requirements into actionable engineering specifications for product upgrades.
• Design Review: Participate in and lead design reviews, ensuring the proposed upgrade solutions are technically sound, manufacturable, and comply with all applicable safety standards (e.g., SEMI standards, local codes).
• Field Deployment Support: Oversee and coordinate the deployment phase, working closely with Field Service Engineers to manage installation, commissioning, and system validation at customer sites with minimum disruption.

3. Process Improvement (10%)

• Document lessons learned and update standard project management processes (Playbooks) to continuously improve the efficiency and predictability of future product upgrade projects.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years of experience in project engineering or project management roles.
• Industry Focus: At least 3 years of direct experience managing capital equipment, engineered solutions, or custom modification projects, preferably within the semiconductor, FPD, or a similarly high-tech, regulated manufacturing sector.
• Technical Knowledge: Strong foundational knowledge of chemical processing, mechanical design, thermal management, or electrical control systems, especially as applied to industrial pollution control (abatement/scrubbers) is highly desirable.
• Project Management Certification: PMP (Project Management Professional) or equivalent certification is required.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Electronics Engineering is strongly preferred. Degrees in Chemical Engineering or a closely related technical field will also be considered.

• Skills:

• Proficiency with project management software (e.g., MS Project, JIRA, Asana, Primavera).

• Exceptional negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% to domestic and international customer sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering or Business Administration (MBA).
• Direct experience with abatement technologies (e.g., burn/wet scrub, catalytic abatement, plasma), pumps and a deep understanding of associated safety protocols (e.g., toxic/flammable gas handling).
• Familiarity with SEMI standards (e.g., SEMI S2, S8, F47).