Senior R&D Mechanical Engineer; m​/w​/d - semiconductor industry

Senior R&D Mechanical Engineer

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips – the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world – like AI and IoT.

If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world.

We are looking for an experienced Senior R&D Mechanical Engineer with approximately 10+ years of industry experience in high precision mechanical design, advanced materials engineering, and design for manufacturability. This role is ideal for a senior professional who combines deep technical expertise with hands-on shop floor understanding and the ability to influence design direction, manufacturing strategy, and engineering standards.

The primary emphasis of this position is on materials selection, materials behavior in high-tech applications, and precision machine component design.

Role Responsibilities:

• Lead the mechanical design of complex, high precision components and assemblies for advanced equipment, ensuring robust functionality, manufacturability, and long term reliability.
• Serve as the materials authority for mechanical components—evaluating metals, alloys, coatings, composites, polymers, and their performance under demanding environments (vacuum, thermal, dynamic loads). Own technical decisions related to materials, finishes, coatings, and critical tolerances.
• Apply expert level knowledge of GD&T, tolerance stack up analysis, and precision engineering principles to develop designs that meet stringent performance and quality requirements.
• Guide and mentor junior engineers on materials usage, DFM, machining practices, drawing standards, and engineering best practices.
• Drive collaboration with manufacturing engineering, machining vendors, suppliers, metrology, and quality teams to optimize manufacturability, reduce costs, and improve design robustness.
• Lead design reviews, material selection workshops, and manufacturability assessments for new product introductions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership in resolving complex shop floor issues—leveraging hands-on experience from precision machining and assembly environments.
• Oversee the creation of detailed 3D models, engineering drawings, and documentation using CAD tools (Solid Works, Creo, or similar).
• Support prototype builds, validation testing, and material performance evaluations.

Required Qualifications &

Experience:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in mechanical engineering, Materials Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in mechanical design, with majority spent in high precision manufacturing industries (semiconductors, optical systems, aerospace, robotics, or similar).
• Deep technical expertise in materials behavior, mechanical properties and high precision applications.
• Proven track record in precision machining, including machining constraints, tooling considerations, tolerancing, and manufacturability optimization.
• Mastery of GD&T, tolerance analysis, design standards, and engineering documentation.
• Strong shop floor understanding—hands-on experience with machining, metrology, or assembly strongly preferred.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and manufacturing partners on high precision component development.
• Engineering leadership experience: mentoring engineers, driving design decisions, and influencing cross functional teams.
• Excellent communication and ability to represent the mechanical design function in technical and cross disciplinary discussions.

Preferred

Skills:

• Experience with high purity, high vacuum, thermal critical or contamination sensitive applications.
• Familiarity with coating technologies, heat treatment processes, and advanced material performance testing.
• Exposure to basic simulation methodologies FEA/thermal—as a…