Supplier Engineer – Welding & Fabrication

About the role

Applied Materials is seeking a Supplier Engineer specialized in welding and fabrication to lead the qualification, development and continuous improvement of welded components supplied globally for semiconductor equipment. The role combines deep welding expertise with supplier management, data‑driven problem solving and cross‑functional collaboration.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain quality assurance processes for supplier‑manufactured welded assemblies, approve welding procedures to AWS, ASME and customer specifications, and lead supplier onboarding, capability assessments and technical audits.
• Collaborate with design, manufacturing and process engineering to resolve weldability, distortion and reliability issues, and support advanced joining technologies such as electron‑beam welding, fusion welding systems and vacuum brazing.
• Lead incident management and root‑cause analysis for high‑impact quality problems using 8D, Six Sigma, fishbone and 5‑Why methods, and drive corrective actions with suppliers.
• Analyze supplier quality data with SPC, Pareto and capability studies to inform risk mitigation and continuous‑improvement strategies.
• Support implementation of FMEA, control plans, PFMEA and MSA, and develop best‑known‑methods and standard work for welding processes across the supply base.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Welding, Mechanical, Industrial or related engineering discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of hands‑on experience with welding processes (GTAW, GMAW, EBW, LBW, brazing) and supplier qualification.
• Experience with manual, semi‑automatic and automated welding equipment, and familiarity with metallurgy, heat‑treatment and weld‑defect characterization.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 50 % of the time.

Required skills

• Proficiency in welding procedures (WPS, PQR, WPQ) and standards such as AWS and ASME.
• Strong data‑analysis skills using MS Excel, SPC, Pareto, FMEA, PFMEA and MSA.
• Root‑cause analysis methodologies (8D, DMAIC, DOE, Six Sigma).
• Knowledge of advanced joining technologies: electron‑beam welding, vacuum brazing, plastic welding.