Lead AI Engineer — Semiconductor AI Innovation jobs in United States
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Onto Innovation · 6 hours ago

Lead AI Engineer — Semiconductor AI Innovation

Onto Innovation is a leader in process control, combining global scale with an expanded portfolio of leading-edge technologies in semiconductor manufacturing. They are seeking a Lead AI Engineer to drive AI-powered solutions, lead a team of engineers, and integrate machine learning into core engineering and manufacturing processes.

3D TechnologyManufacturingSemiconductor
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Responsibilities

Define the AI strategy and architecture for integrating machine learning into core engineering and manufacturing processes
Partner with tool, process, and applications engineers to map as-is processes and define a to-be AI/automation architecture and deliver measurable outcomes
Ship agentic assistants for use-cases. Stand up LLM + RAG + tool integrations (via MCP servers) that help engineers accelerate tool operation/setup/maintenance and explain trade-offs, grounded in internal docs, logs, and historical inspection outcomes
Lead projects across diverse areas: Predictive maintenance for tool health monitoring and failure detection. Computer vision for wafer defect detection, segmentation, and classification. LLM-based engineering assistants using RAG and MCP agents to make internal knowledge more accessible. Process optimization & yield improvement through data-driven insights and parameter tuning. Simulation and digital twins to model process behaviors and accelerate R&D
Build retrieval-augmented AI assistants to query internal knowledge bases, tools, and logs
Architect robust pipelines for data ingestion, labeling, storage, and retrieval across massive multi-modal datasets (images, telemetry, recipes, logs)
Stand up scalable MLOps infrastructure: model registries, monitoring, evaluation, deployment, and governance
Hire, mentor, and manage a team of 3 engineers focused on LLM/Agents, CV/ML, and MLOps/Data
Work cross-functionally to integrate AI solutions into production environments safely and securely

Qualification

Machine LearningLarge Language ModelsPredictive ModelingComputer VisionMLOpsPythonC++/CUDAStakeholder CollaborationSemiconductor ManufacturingData Connectivity

Required

5+ years applied ML/AI experience, with 3+ years in a technical leadership role
Hands-on expertise with at least two of the following domains: Large Language Models - RAG, fine-tuning, agent frameworks, prompt optimization; Predictive Modeling - tool failure prediction, anomaly detection, time-series analysis; Computer Vision - defect detection, segmentation, or SEM/optical imaging
Strong background in ML systems architecture and production deployment
Advanced Python proficiency: C++/CUDA familiarity is a plus
Experience with MLOps stacks: containers, CI/CD, Ray Serve/Triton, model registries (e.g., MLflow), and GPU optimization
Strong stakeholder collaboration skills and the ability to translate between engineering, operations, and leadership
Demonstrated success delivering AI-powered products into production

Preferred

Familiarity with semiconductor manufacturing, inspection, or metrology
Understanding of fab interfaces and data connectivity (SECS/GEM, GEM300)
Prior experience deploying digital twins or simulation-driven optimization
Knowledge of vector databases, retrieval pipelines, and hybrid search
Experience implementing safety, security, and IP protections for AI systems
Exposure to datasets or tools from KLA, ASML, Applied Materials, Onto, Nova, or similar inspection/metrology vendors

Benefits

Health/dental/vision/life/disability
PTO
401K plan with employer match
Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)
Health & wellness initiatives

Company

Onto Innovation

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Onto Innovation stands alone in process control with our unique perspective across the semiconductor value chain.

Funding

Current Stage
Public Company
Total Funding
unknown
1999-11-12IPO

Leadership Team

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Chris Seams
Chairman Of The Board
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Company data provided by crunchbase