Senior System Architect

Our client is a deep-tech startup building equipment for semiconductor manufacturing, operating at the intersection of plasma physics, vacuum engineering, and advanced materials.

The company is scaling from a working proof-of-concept to a fab-ready system out of the R&D lab on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven.

The role

• You will own the architecture of our deposition platform. The full system, mechanically led: vacuum, thermal, motion, and the interfaces to electrical, controls, and software. You define how the machine is built.
• Ownership runs deeper than the first prototype. You make sure every subsystem matures into a volume-ready, reliable and serviceable design. For every subsystem you make the call: develop inhouse, outsource, or buy off the shelf. Cost, lead time, IP, and risk all sit in that decision, and the decision sits with you.
• You work peer-to-peer with Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and the source, plasma, and materials engineers. You answer for the system as a whole.

What you will do

• Own the full system architecture: requirements, interface definitions, and the budgets that tie vacuum, thermal, motion, electrical, and software together
• Drive every subsystem to maturity: from prototype to a volume-ready, reliable and serviceable design
• Make the make/buy calls: in-house development versus outsourcing versus off-the-shelf, weighing cost, lead time, IP, and supply risk
• Set design rules and run design reviews across the platform
• Build the supplier and partner base for critical subsystems
• Own system-level risk: identify failure modes and mitigate them early

What we are looking for

• MSc or PhD in mechanical engineering, precision engineering, mechatronics, or a related field
• 12+ years designing high-precision systems that shipped
• Deep vacuum experience: you have architected HV or UHV systems
• Semiconductor equipment experience: you have designed or architected tools that run in fabs or at OEMs
• Proven full-system ownership: you have taken a machine from prototype through to industrialisation
• High agency and self-starting. You do not wait for a mandate. You take the system and run.

Nice to have

• Plasma experience: plasma sources, ion beam systems, or plasma process equipment. A big plus.
• Experience with thin-film deposition tools
• Experience transferring a platform to a contract manufacturer
• Design for manufacturing, assembly, and service on complex vacuum equipment

The offer

• A lead role in a company solving one of the hardest problems in semiconductor manufacturing
• Full ownership of the platform architecture, from lab to fab
• Base salary from €115,000 gross per year
• A small, expert team where your work is visible and consequential
• Meaningful equity participation
• A workspace on High Tech Campus Eindhoven, with relocation support available

How to Apply

If you have the technical expertise and the drive to lead at the highest level, we want to hear from you.

For a confidential discussion or more information, please contact:

Mr. Anton van Rossum Recruitment Consultant M: +31 6 53 306 309

E: anton.van.rossum@ir-search.nl

Discretion is strictly guaranteed.