XADA Project Manager (Semiconductor Test & Failure Analysis) V (E5)

Who We Are

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. 

What We Offer

Salary:

$148,000.00 - $203,500.00

Location:

Benicia,CA

You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more. 

At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits. 

Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Product Manager to guide and expand our strategic initiatives across computational imaging, reconstruction algorithms, machine learning model development, and customer‑facing AI integration. This individual will serve as the technical and collaborative bridge between our internal R&D efforts, key academic partners, and major semiconductor customers.

This position is instrumental in shaping the next generation of imaging and inspection systems deployed in leading-edge semiconductor fabs.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead AI Strategy Across Reconstruction and Internal Modeling

• Drive the development, integration, and deployment of our AI-driven reconstruction capabilities.
• Partner with academic collaborators to advance cutting-edge research and translate findings into production‑grade algorithms.

2. Competitive Technical Intelligence

• Maintain a deep and continuously updated understanding of: competitor reconstruction technologies and strengths and weaknesses across alternative system architectures.

3. Develop User‑Facing AI Training Workflows

• Architect and deliver a robust, intuitive interface enabling users to perform pair-wise dataset training and generate updated model versions with minimal ML expertise.

4. Customer Engagement & Account Support

• Act as a technical liaison for major semiconductor partners, ensuring alignment between customer requirements and internal development.
• Participate in customer visits, technology reviews, technical deep dives, and roadmap discussions.

5. Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Provide strategic input on hardware/software co‑design for future product generations.
• Collaborate closely with product management and remote workforce on software and algorithm engineering.
• Contribute to internal standards, documentation, and repeatable workflows for model training, validation, and deployment.

Required Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of industry or postdoctoral experience in AI/ML for imaging, reconstruction, or scientific computing.
• Demonstrated expertise in:
  • Neural networks for image restoration/reconstruction (e.g., U-Net, GANs, diffusion),
  • Classical and physics-informed reconstruction pipelines (e.g., FBP/FDK, iterative reconstruction, sinogram-domain optimization),
  • Multimodal or hybrid-domain reconstruction.
• Strong proficiency in Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow, and scientific computing frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing tools enabling user‑driven ML training.
• Familiarity with semiconductor manufacturing processes, inspection requirements, and metrology constraints.
• Prior customer‑facing technical roles or experience supporting high-value accounts.
• Experience with GPU optimization, model deployment pipelines, or large-scale data handling.

Additional Information

Time Type:

Full time

Employee Type:

Assignee / Regular

Travel:

Yes, 25% of the Time

Relocation Eligible:

No

The salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and with consideration of internal equity of our current team members. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.

For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the Target Total Cash (TTC) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target bonus amount at 100% goal achievement.

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

In addition, Applied endeavors to make our careers site accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us via e-mail at Accommodations_Program@amat.com, or by calling our HR Direct Help Line at 877-612-7547, option 1, and following the prompts to speak to an HR Advisor. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.