[Hiring] Director of Technical Support Engineering @FormFactor Inc.

Role Description

The Director of Technical Support Engineering is responsible for leading FormFactor's global technical support engineering function, serving as the highest level of product and application expertise within the service organization. This leader drives technical escalation management, service readiness, engineering collaboration, and customer issue resolution across a global network of field, regional, and factory service teams.

The role provides strategic leadership for product technical support, advanced troubleshooting, failure analysis, NPI service readiness, service documentation, training standards, and continuous improvement initiatives. Working closely with Engineering, Product Management, Manufacturing, Quality, and Global Service Operations, the Director ensures customers receive world-class technical support throughout the product lifecycle while enabling scalable and profitable service delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Support Leadership
  • Lead the global Technical Support Engineering organization supporting all FormFactor product lines.
  • Establish and manage a structured multi-level technical escalation process.
  • Serve as executive owner for complex customer escalations and systemic product performance issues.
  • Drive rapid root-cause analysis and corrective actions to minimize customer downtime.
  • Establish service engineering standards, best practices, and troubleshooting methodologies.
• Product Technical Expertise
  • Develop and maintain deep product expertise across hardware, software, applications, and manufacturing processes.
  • Oversee advanced troubleshooting, failure analysis, and corrective action programs.
  • Act as the technical bridge between Service, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Product Management.
  • Drive continuous improvements in product reliability, serviceability, and customer experience.
• Global Service Readiness
  • Develop global support strategies to enable successful product deployment across all regions.
  • Ensure technical consistency across site support centers, regional service centers, factory repair centers, and partner organizations.
  • Create standardized troubleshooting procedures, service documentation, and repair methodologies.
  • Define service qualification criteria prior to field deployment.
  • Partner with field service leadership to ensure effective knowledge transfer and capability development.
• Training and Knowledge Management
  • Own global technical training strategy and certification programs.
  • Develop technical competency models and career development pathways.
  • Build scalable knowledge management systems and technical documentation infrastructure.
  • Ensure field engineers and regional teams have the technical expertise required to support customers independently.
• Operational Excellence
  • Define and measure technical support KPIs including:
    • Escalation closure time
    • Root cause completion rate
    • First-time resolution rate
    • Product reliability trends
    • Service readiness metrics
    • Customer satisfaction outcomes
  • Drive continuous improvement projects focused on quality, efficiency, and customer experience.
  • Utilize data, Voice of Customer feedback, and operational metrics to guide improvement initiatives.
• Leadership and Team Development
  • Build, coach, and develop a global team of Technical Support Engineers and Subject Matter Experts.
  • Foster a customer-focused, collaborative, and accountable culture.
  • Establish succession plans and technical talent development programs.
  • Lead cross-functional initiatives that improve organizational effectiveness and customer outcomes.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Semiconductor Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Technical engineering, customer support, field service, or semiconductor equipment experience.
• Leadership experience managing technical engineering or support organizations.
• Proven experience leading global technical teams in a complex, customer-facing environment.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor manufacturing, test, measurement, wafer probing, or adjacent semiconductor capital equipment markets.
• Experience supporting products across the full lifecycle from NPI through sustaining engineering and end-of-life.

Technical Competencies

• Advanced troubleshooting and root-cause analysis expertise.
• Product lifecycle management experience.
• Failure Analysis and FMEA experience.
• Service readiness and Design for Serviceability methodologies.
• Technical escalation management.
• Reliability engineering and continuous improvement tools.
• Strong understanding of quality systems and customer support processes.

Leadership Competencies

• Strong customer focus and commitment to service excellence.
• Strategic thinking with operational execution discipline.
• Ownership and accountability for business results.
• Ability to lead through influence across global organizations.
• Exceptional communication and executive presentation skills.
• Proven ability to develop and inspire high-performing technical teams.

Success Measures

• Improve customer issue resolution speed and technical escalation effectiveness.
• Increase service readiness for new product introductions.
• Strengthen collaboration between Engineering and Service organizations.
• Build global technical competency and certification programs.
• Improve product reliability insights and feedback loops to Engineering.
• Enhance customer satisfaction and reduce support-related downtime.
• Enable scalable global support capabilities that align with FormFactor's growth strategy.

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 12+ years of relevant experience in leadership roles, with a Bachelor’s degree; or 10 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 8 years experience; or equivalent experience.

Pay Range

This role in Livermore, California pays between $192,400.00 and $252,525.00 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.