About SLM
SLM is a compute infrastructure company building supercapability systems. We're developing new classes of high-performance architectures that deliver unmatched performance, precision, and physical resilience in extreme environments — and we're doing it on an accelerated timeline with hard deployment deadlines that our customers and partners cannot move.
Our first-generation systems target scientific instrumentation with hard deployment windows that won't reopen for years or close to more than a decade. This comes with substantial technical challenges: advanced semiconductor processes, specialized memory technologies, multi-die integration, comprehensive harsh-environment qualification, and software and programming models that can scale to changing, resource-intensive hardware requirements — The program execution challenges are equally demanding: We're coordinating across foundry partners, assembly houses, test facilities, and technology vendors while maintaining the velocity needed to hit immovable deployment windows.
This is a small, exceptional team executing on a multi-year technical roadmap with near-term customer commitments and special infrastructure project deliverables. You'll work where engineering meets manufacturing reality: establishing agile and adaptable processes, improving yields, and ensuring the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, buildability, and scalability of our integrated designs. The work is involved, the coordination is constant, and the mission matters. This will be a very rewarding assignment at a national-interest company building capabilities for complex missions and high-cost, precious industrial assets.
About this role
You'll bridge design and production; working with foundries, OSATs, and test facilities to ensure our complex multi-die systems can be manufactured reliably at the quality levels extreme environment applications demand.
This means developing manufacturing processes for advanced packaging technologies that may not have been used this way before, establishing test and screening flows that catch defects without excessive cost, implementing yield improvement programs when early production reveals issues, and creating manufacturing documentation that captures the knowledge required for consistent production. You'll work directly with OSAT partners on assembly process development: defining bump specifications, reflow profiles, underfill processes, and handling procedures for radiation-sensitive devices. You'll establish Known-Good-Die testing protocols that ensure defective dies don't proceed to expensive assembly operations.
The technical challenges require both semiconductor manufacturing knowledge and hands-on problem-solving. You need to understand what drives yield in advanced packaging — die attach quality, microbump formation, thermal stresses during assembly, particle contamination. You'll analyze failure data from qualification testing to identify manufacturing-induced defects versus design issues, implement statistical process control when production volumes justify it, and work with suppliers when their processes need improvement. You'll spend time at foundry sites and assembly facilities; observing processes, reviewing failure analysis, negotiating process changes, and establishing the relationships that enable rapid response when issues arise.
You'll collaborate with the design team when manufacturing constraints require design modifications, with the supply chain team on supplier qualification and capacity planning, with the test team on defining screening strategies and acceptance criteria, with quality and reliability teams on traceability and documentation requirements. The work involves both strategic planning (defining manufacturing approaches before hardware exists) and tactical execution (solving yield problems when production starts).
The timeline pressure for this system is material. You'll need manufacturing processes ready before first silicon arrives, yields improving quickly during early production, and qualification-ready units delivered on schedule. You'll make pragmatic decisions about where to invest in process improvement versus accepting lower yields, work closely with partners who may be unfamiliar with our quality requirements, and maintain rigorous documentation even when moving fast.
What we're looking for
- Semiconductor manufacturing experience with direct exposure to advanced packaging, assembly operations, or test and screening.
- You've worked in or closely with fabs, OSATs, or test facilities; not just specified requirements but actually solved manufacturing problems.
- You understand what causes yield loss, how to debug process issues using failure analysis and statistical data, and how to work effectively with manufacturing partners to implement improvements.
Experience with advanced packaging (2.5D, chiplets, multi-die systems) is particularly valuable. You understand the additional complexity beyond single-die manufacturing. If you've worked on low-volume, high-reliability production or aerospace/defense manufacturing, you understand the quality systems and traceability we need. Familiarity with Known-Good-Die testing, burn-in screening, or qualification testing helps contextualize our manufacturing flow. Strong data analysis skills and comfort with statistical methods are essential.
We're looking for someone who combines technical depth with practical problem-solving skills, who can work effectively across organizational boundaries with foundries and OSATs, and who maintains focus on yield and quality even under schedule pressure.
What we offer
As an early team member, you'll shape capabilities and systems with first-order consequences for the future and direction of humanity's enterprise.
This is accompanied by a strong equity package, competitive base salary, and comprehensive benefits including enhanced healthcare coverage for you and your family, robust family planning support, life insurance, flexible time off and paid holidays, retirement plans with matching, daily meals at our headquarters, and relocation support.
Our primary operational base is set in the Bay Area, and our labs are headquartered in a part of the city set beside cypress groves and coastal trails. Think natural light, fresh ocean air, and panoramic views. We work intensely but deliberately invest in removing avoidable frictions from your life so you can dedicate maximum bandwidth to your core work.
If we make you an offer, we will work hard to get you onto our team and can even sponsor visas and green cards once eligible.
We strongly encourage you to apply even if you feel you don't meet every qualification or attribute as described. We care more about evidence of strong ability and a high signal-to-noise ratio.
Role details
- Category: Program Management & Operations
- Role: Manufacturing Engineer
- Work type: On-site (with travel to manufacturing sites)
- Employment: Full-time
- Location: Bay Area, California
- Salary range: $140,000 - $200,000