Principal Product Engineer

Role Title: Principal NPI Product Engineer

Location: San Diego, California (HYBRID)

Role Type

Permanent

Pay Rate: $180K - $210K base + bonuses, RSUs, and benefits

Required Skills and Experience:

• BS in Electrical Engineering or related field. MS strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of semiconductor product engineering, test engineering, or design engineering experience.
• Proven ownership of silicon bring-up, characterization, product release, and production-transfer programs.
• Hands-on ATE test development experience, including ATE-to-bench correlation and production test limit setting.
• Strong knowledge of Design for Testability (DfT) and Design for Manufacturability (DfM).
• Experience analyzing semiconductor characterization data across process, voltage, and temperature conditions.
• Proficiency with statistical analysis tools such as JMP or Excel.
• Scripting or automation experience using Python, TCL, or similar languages.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, program ownership, and cross-functional communication skills.

Nice to Have Skills and Experience:

• Analog/mixed-signal or optical IC characterization experience, including TIA, CDR, LimitAmp, or high-speed SerDes.
• Experience with high-speed Advantest, Teradyne, or comparable ATE platforms.
• Experience with JEDEC reliability qualification methods, including HTOL, HAST, ESD, and latch-up.
• Exposure to ATPG, MBIST, boundary scan, or similar DFT methodologies.
• Experience working directly with semiconductor foundries and OSAT manufacturing partners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own NPI programs from initial product development through silicon bring-up, qualification, production release, and high-volume manufacturing transfer.
• Lead cross-functional efforts involving design, validation, test, characterization, quality, reliability, applications, manufacturing, and operations.
• Define DfT and DfM requirements and drive development, verification, optimization, and release of ATE production test programs.
• Develop and execute characterization strategies covering wafer, bench, and ATE testing across process, voltage, and temperature variations.
• Drive ATE-to-bench correlation and use statistical analysis to establish production test limits and finalized product specifications.
• Lead yield modeling, DOE activities, process capability studies, test-time reduction, and resolution of major yield-loss issues.
• Drive product validation and reliability qualification with test, characterization, validation, and reliability engineering teams.
• Monitor production yield and quality metrics while identifying manufacturing trends, anomalies, and improvement opportunities.
• Lead failure analysis and root-cause investigations involving production issues, field returns, and RMA cases.
• Partner with foundry, packaging, and OSAT organizations to resolve wafer fabrication, packaging, die-sort, and final-test issues.
• Identify opportunities for product cost reduction, improved test efficiency, higher yield, and lifecycle optimization.

Job Summary

Insight Global is looking for a Principal NPI Product Engineer to lead new semiconductor products from early silicon development through high-volume production. This individual will serve as a hands-on technical leader across NPI, silicon bring-up, characterization, ATE testing, product qualification, and manufacturing transfer. The role focuses on high-performance optical and analog/mixed-signal ICs built using advanced CMOS and BiCMOS technologies and will work closely with design, validation, test, quality, reliability, operations, foundry, and OSAT teams.