Company OverviewKLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world's leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow's electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.
Group/DivisionThe KLA Services team headquartered in Milpitas, CA is our service organization that consists of Service Sales and Marketing, Spares Supply Chain management, Field Operations, Engineering, Product Training, and Technical Support. The KLA Services organization partners with our field teams and customers in all business sectors to maintain the high performance and productivity of our products through a flexible portfolio of services. Our comprehensive services include: proactive management of tools to identify and improve performance; expertise in optics, image processing and motion control with worldwide service engineers, 24/7 technical support teams and knowledge management systems; and an extensive parts network to ensure worldwide availability of parts.
Job Description/Preferred Qualifications
About the Role
We are seeking an AI Engineer to serve as a technical lead within a growing, operations-aligned engineering team. This role is ideal for someone who combines strong hands-on engineering capability with a passion for mentoring others and shaping how teams build and scale AI systems.
You will work alongside data scientists and full-stack engineers to deliver AI-powered solutions across internal tooling, customer-facing features, and the supporting data/ML infrastructure. The team is actively shipping; this role focuses on strengthening technical execution, improving system reliability, and elevating overall engineering practices.
While there will be opportunities to take on broader leadership responsibilities over time, the primary focus of this role is technical leadership, delivery, and mentorship.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead the design, development, and deployment of production AI systems end-to-end
Contribute hands-on to the codebase and set a high bar for engineering quality
Establish scalable patterns for evaluation, deployment, and system reliability
Conduct technical design reviews and guide architectural decisions
Mentor and develop engineers, providing regular coaching and technical guidance
Support hiring efforts, including candidate evaluation and onboarding
Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to align priorities and deliver impactful solutions
Help translate experimentation into stable, production-ready systems
Preferred Qualifications:
Technical Expertise
5-8 years of experience building production software systems
At least 2 years working with AI/ML or LLM-based solutions in production environments
Demonstrated ownership of delivering end-to-end AI systems or features
Strong understanding of modern AI development practices (e.g., evaluation, prompt iteration, system integration)
Comfortable working across the stack, including data pipelines, model serving, and application layers
Sound judgment in making technical trade-offs, including build vs. buy decisions
AI / Applied Systems Experience
Hands-on experience with LLMs, agent-based systems, or generative AI applications
Familiarity with evaluation frameworks, prompt iteration, and model behavior tuning
Understanding of limitations and failure modes of AI systems, and how to design around them
Experience operationalizing AI workflows (e.g., pipelines, monitoring, feedback loops) in real-world environments
Leadership & Mentorship
Experience serving as a technical lead or senior engineer on a team
Proven ability to mentor and uplift other engineers
Strong communication skills, including technical documentation and stakeholder engagement
Ability to influence decisions and drive alignment without formal authority
Interest in growing leadership scope over time (optional, not required)
Role Scope
Primarily a hands-on technical leadership role
Emphasis on delivery, system quality, and team enablement
Opportunities to expand into people leadership over time, based on interest and business needs
Not a research-focused role - emphasis is on applied, production systems
Additional Information
Periodic travel may be required
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field
Advanced degree (MS or PhD) preferred, particularly with a focus on AI, Machine Learning, or distributed systems
Minimum Qualifications
Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years;OR equivalent work experience
Base Pay Range: $111,900.00 - $190,200.00... For full info follow application link.
KLA-Tencor is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.
