Lead System Engineer (m​/f​/x

ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Enabler for smaller, more powerful, and more energy-efficient microchips Working for tomorrow today. Around 80 percent of all microchips worldwide are produced using ZEISS technologies. As the centerpiece of every electronically controlled system, they have become an integral part of our everyday lives – whether in smartphones, smart homes or smart factories. ZEISS is a technology leader in the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

With high-precision lithography optics, photomask systems and process control solutions, ZEISS enables the production of ever smaller, increasingly powerful, and more energy-efficient microchips, and thus plays a pivotal role in the age of micro- and nanoelectronics.

• Take technical ownership of the development of fully automated FIB-SEM process flows and process modules, and translate them into system requirements for a novel FIB-SEM based 3D-Tomography inspection and metrology tool for semiconductor wafers.
• Define the overall automation and process concept (workflow orchestration, recipe strategy, tool states, error handling, recovery concepts) in close alignment with application engineering and customer use cases.
• Lead system and machine/tool design, requirements definition, and architecture across mechanics, process modules, electronics, software, controls, sensors, and infrastructure.
• Drive the design and implementation of automated process modules and their robust interaction across the complete process chain.
• Define and maintain the system requirements specification, interface descriptions, and system-level test and validation strategy in close collaboration with product management and technical experts.
• Work in close collaboration with the Lead Software Architect to enable efficient hardware–software co-development, ensuring that control concepts, automation architecture, process and data flows are optimally aligned across all layers.
• Establish system-level strategies for closed-loop control and monitoring (metrology feedback, sensor fusion, drift compensation) to achieve repeatable automated processing at scale.
• Coordinate interdisciplinary development between system engineers, product developers, project management, and key stakeholders.
• Ensure system performance targets (resolution, throughput, stability, availability, reliability) are translated into clear technical requirements and verified by suitable test concepts.
• Guide feasibility studies, concept evaluations, and trade-off analyses for critical subsystems, interfaces, and automation concepts.
• Assess and mitigate technical risks, manage change requests, and ensure end-to-end traceability from customer use cases to realized automated functions.
• Act as the technical contact person for the product within the project, representing system engineering in reviews, design boards, and customer discussions.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the system engineering community.

• A very well-completed degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, physics, physical engineering, or a comparable field and several years of professional experience; a PhD is advantageous.
• Proven experience in developing automated process flows and/or process modules for complex tools or machines (ideally in semiconductor manufacturing, inspection, or metrology environments).
• Experience in electron microscopy; ideally also in FIB technology and 3D tomography related workflows.
• Experience in product development of complex systems and machines (incl. requirements engineering, interface management, verification/validation); ideally in the semiconductor environment.
• Profound knowledge in system architecture and the development of modular solutions, with a strong understanding of automation, controls, and end-to-end process integration.
• Strong analytical thinking, systematic working methods, and problem-solving skills— especially in troubleshooting complex automated process chains.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate cross-functionally with various stakeholders (application, software, hardware, manufacturing, service, and…