Analyst, Algorithm Research & Development

Company Overview

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

Group/Division

Enabling the movement toward advanced chip design, KLA's Measurement, Analytics and Control group (MACH) is looking for the best and brightest research scientists, software engineers, application development engineers and senior product technology process engineers to join our team. The MACH team's mission is to collaborate with our customers to innovate technologies and solutions that detect and control highly complex process variations-at their source-rather than compensate for them at later stages of the manufacturing process. With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Our MACH team develops leading-edge solutions for patterning process analytics and control technologies, thereby providing customers with critical insight at the feature level, field level and cross-wafer analysis. Our teams also develop advanced modeling simulation, data analytics and process control modeling technologies. As a member of the MACH team, you’ll be joining the most sophisticated and successful process-control company in the semiconductor industry--working across functions to solve the most complex technical problems in the digital age.

Job Description/PreferredQualifications

About the Role

We are looking for an AI Engineer to design and develop machine learning, statistical analytics, and agentic AI solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and engineering applications. The role combines software engineering, applied machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and modern AI frameworks to build intelligent systems that improve product performance, defect detection, engineering productivity, and manufacturing insights.

The engineer is expected to contribute independently, lead small to medium-sized technical initiatives, and collaborate across software, algorithms, systems, data science, and product teams. Given the product is a large data analytics solution for the semi industry, proficiency in C++ is necessary in addition to python.

Key Responsibilities

Machine Learning & Statistical Analytics

• Design and implement machine learning solutions for classification, regression, clustering, anomaly detection, and forecasting.
• Develop statistical models using:
  • Hypothesis testing
  • Regression analysis
  • Bayesian methods
  • PCA
  • Time-series analysis
  • Design of Experiments (DOE)
  • Predictive analytics
• Analyze large-scale manufacturing and engineering datasets to derive actionable insights.
• Evaluate model performance and drive continuous improvements.

Deep Learning & Computer Vision

• Develop deep learning models for:
  • Defect classification
  • Pattern recognition
  • Image segmentation
  • Object detection
  • Feature extraction
• Build and optimize models using:
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • ONNX
• Work with image-processing pipelines and semiconductor inspection datasets.

Agentic AI & LLM Applications

• Develop AI assistants and workflow automation solutions using modern agent frameworks.
• Build Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines.
• Integrate LLMs with enterprise data sources and engineering workflows.
• Develop tool-using AI agents capable of planning, reasoning, and workflow execution.
• Contribute to multi-agent systems for engineering productivity and analytics.

Software Engineering

• Design and implement production-quality software in:
  • C++
  • Python
• Convert business and system requirements into scalable AI solutions.
• Develop reusable software libraries, APIs, and services.
• Participate in code reviews and software design reviews.
• Optimize performance, scalability, and reliability of AI services.

Collaboration & Product Development

• Work closely with:
  • Software Engineers
  • Algorithm Engineers
  • Product Managers
  • Applications Teams
• Contribute to solution design discussions.
• Participate in feasibility studies and technical investigations.
• Support deployment, validation, and customer adoption activities.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in:
  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Statistics
  • Mathematics
  • Computer Engineering
  • Related discipline

Experience

Typically:

• BS + 5 years experience
• OR MS + 3 years experience
• OR PhD with relevant experience

Consistent with the experience expectations for the P3 AI Engineering level.

Required Technical Skills

Programming

Strong proficiency in:

• Python
• Modern C++ (C++14/17/20)

Experience with:

• Data structures
• Algorithms
• Object-oriented design
• Multithreaded programming

Machine Learning

Experience developing and deploying:

• Random Forests
• XGBoost
• Gradient Boosting
• Isolation Forest
• Clustering Algorithms
• Predictive Models

Deep Learning

Hands-on experience with:

• PyTorch
• TensorFlow
• Deep Neural Networks
• CNNs
• Transformers
• Vision Models

Statistical Analytics

Strong understanding of:

• Probability & Statistics
• Experimental Design
• Statistical Inference
• Feature Engineering
• Data Validation
• Model Evaluation

Agentic AI

Exposure to one or more:

• LangGraph
• LangChain
• AutoGen
• CrewAI
• Semantic Kernel
• OpenAI Agents SDK
• MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Skills include:

• Tool Calling
• Workflow Orchestration
• RAG Systems
• Knowledge Retrieval
• AI Automation

Preferred Qualifications

• Semiconductor manufacturing experience.
• Yield analytics or defect analytics experience.
• Experience with:
  • Vector databases
  • Knowledge graphs
  • Ray
  • Spark
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker
• Experience building enterprise AI solutions.

What Success Looks Like

Within this role, you will:

• Independently deliver AI and machine-learning features.
• Design and deploy production-ready statistical and deep learning models.
• Build agentic AI capabilities that improve engineering productivity.
• Contribute to image-processing and advanced analytics solutions.
• Influence architecture and technical design decisions.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to engineering best practices.

Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years

We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.

KLA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer

Be aware of potentially fraudulent job postings or suspicious recruiting activity by persons that are currently posing as KLA employees. KLA never asks for any financial compensation to be considered for an interview, to become an employee, or for equipment. Further, KLA does not work with any recruiters or third parties who charge such fees either directly or on behalf of KLA. Please ensure that you have searched KLA’s Careers website for legitimate job postings. KLA follows a recruiting process that involves multiple interviews in person or on video conferencing with our hiring managers. If you are concerned that a communication, an interview, an offer of employment, or that an employee is not legitimate, please send an email to [email protected] to confirm the person you are communicating with is an employee. We take your privacy very seriously and confidentially handle your information.