Tech Lead Jobs in California

The Senior New Product Introduction (NPI) Engineer leads the transition of complex hardware from engineering development into repeatable production. This role is the technical and operational owner for build readiness, cross-functional execution, and issue closure—connecting design engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, suppliers, and service.

The right candidate is hands-on, highly accountable, and comfortable driving multiple programs through ambiguity. They bring discipline to bills of materials (BOMs), engineering changes, build plans, manufacturing risk, and launch decisions while staying close to the hardware and the people building it.

What you will own

• End-to-end NPI execution for assigned products or subsystems, from prototype builds through production release and ramp.
• Integrated schedules, readiness reviews, risks, dependencies, decisions, and recovery plans across cross-functional teams.
• Product configuration integrity, including BOM completeness, effectivity, revision control, and engineering change implementation.
• Manufacturing readiness: process definition, tooling, fixtures, work instructions, test coverage, training, capacity, and supplier readiness.
• Rapid containment, root-cause analysis, and durable corrective action for build, quality, and field issues.

Pay Range: x to y annually (DOE)

Why Nova:

• Certified Great Place to Work: Recognized in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 based on employee feedback, and consistently ranked among the Top 30 companies in our industry for workplace excellence.
• Customer-Focused Environment: Be the face of Nova. We value strong relationships, and you’ll work closely with customers to understand their needs and deliver high-impact solutions.
• Culture of Continuous Learning: At Nova, growth never stops. You'll work with cutting-edge metrology tools, work with top engineers, and participate in ongoing industry training programs.

Required:

• 5+ years in NPI, manufacturing, product, or process engineering for hardware products.
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, electrical engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex projects from development builds through production release.
• Strong BOM, configuration control, and engineering change experience.
• Working knowledge of drawings, tolerances, GD&T, assembly processes, tooling, and test methods.
• Clear technical communication, sound judgment, and the ability to drive closure across teams.

Preferred:

• Experience with complex electromechanical equipment or high-reliability hardware.
• Hands-on experience with PLM, ERP, CAD, and manufacturing execution systems.
• Supplier development, contract manufacturing, or global operations experience.
• Background in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, design of experiments, or statistical process control.
• Experience leading production transfers, scale-up, or cost and cycle-time improvements.

Get to know us better:

Nova (NASDAQ: NVMI) is a global company and a leading provider of innovative metrology solutions for process control in semiconductor manufacturing.

With a team of ~1200 people in three R&D centers and 27 field offices, we bring insights into the world’s most advanced industry. We leverage multiple technology fields such as physics, optics, chemistry, and algorithms to develop hardware and software solutions that measure almost every advanced computer chip built in the world.

Nova dives deep into dimensions and layers at the atomic level to extract unique insights and provide our customers with crucial decision-making data, managing critical challenges by providing unique, differentiated solutions.

Our outstanding people-focused and innovative culture means every person at Nova has the power to make an impact and significantly redefine what people can achieve through technology.

Join us if you are

A dreamer and brilliant high aimer who sees the impossible as the starting point and loves working in a multidisciplinary global team to create innovative breakthroughs.

If you need assistance due to a disability, you may contact us at talent@novami.com

• Translate product requirements and engineering designs into robust, documented manufacturing processes.
• Plan and lead prototype, pilot, and production builds; define objectives, entry criteria, staffing, material readiness, and exit criteria.
• Drive design for manufacturability and assembly (DFM/DFA) reviews and ensure risks are resolved before release.
• Create and maintain accurate BOMs, routings, drawings, specifications, work instructions, and manufacturing documentation in product lifecycle management (PLM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Own NPI action registers and communicate status, decisions, and escalation needs clearly to technical teams and leadership.
• Partner with suppliers and internal operations to resolve component, process, quality, yield, and capacity constraints.
• Lead structured problem solving using data, failure analysis, root-cause methods, and corrective and preventive actions.
• Define and monitor launch indicators such as build completion, first-pass yield, defects, cycle time, rework, and issue closure.
• Support production after release and establish a clear handoff to sustaining engineering, manufacturing, quality, and service teams.
• Mentor engineers and technicians while raising the standard for execution, documentation, and ownership.

What success looks like

• Launches are predictable because build plans, decisions, risks, and ownership are visible and actively managed.
• Released configurations are accurate, complete, and executable on the manufacturing floor and across the supply chain.
• Manufacturing problems are contained quickly, solved at the root cause, and prevented from recurring.
• Design and operations teams make better tradeoffs earlier because manufacturability, quality, cost, and service needs are represented.
• The organization can scale the product with clear processes, strong documentation, and effective handoffs.