Technical Support Manager (Central Technical Function)

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

The KLA Services team headquartered in Milpitas, CA is our service organization that consists of Service Sales and Marketing, Spares Supply Chain management, Field Operations, Engineering, Product Training, and Technical Support. The KLA Services organization partners with our field teams and customers in all business sectors to maintain the high performance and productivity of our products through a flexible portfolio of services. Our comprehensive services include: proactive management of tools to identify and improve performance; expertise in optics, image processing and motion control with worldwide service engineers, 24/7 technical support teams and knowledge management systems; and an extensive parts network to ensure worldwide availability of parts.

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

The successful candidate owns the worldwide operational health of two distinct technology domains served by one operating model: case management,   escalation governance, TSE utilization, training and certification, supplier engagement, and field engagement. Direct ownership covers the US and Europe
TSE bench; partnership accountability extends to the Asia TSM and the global TSE workforce. The role reports to the Director of PSO Operational           Excellence and partners daily with the Product Managers, Engineering counterparts, field partners, and customers.

Key responsibilities include:                

•  Owning the L1–L4 escalation governance for CPG handlers and Server platforms across all regions, with explicit US/EU ownership and Asia partnership accountability

•  Driving TSE utilization toward the defined target and driving Field service engineer's Self-Sufficiency.

•  Co-owning supplier-management posture with the SSO seat for the full handler vendor portfolio (e.g, Rorze, Yaskawa, Kawasaki, Sinfonia, TDK, KRI, Asyst Brooks)        

•  Leading the worldwide TSE hiring pipeline, the certification program across the full handler model lineage, and the structured knowledge-share cadence across the bench. Applying the latest service-engineering technology — including AI-assisted log analysis, knowledge retrieval, and agentic troubleshooting — to amplify each TSE's effective output. The bench will not double in size; the manager who succeeds in this seat is the one who finds the leverage that scales the team

•  Investing visibly in the people on the bench — building trust, developing careers, and protecting team bandwidth as deliberately as managing cases.     executive engagement with the VP, EVP, and President levels on quarterly cadence and reviews; Direct customer engagement with Service Directors, Product Support Directors, and Tier-1 fab leadership                              

• Travel approximately 25–30%                                                                                                                                                                

  Preferred Qualifications:                     

•  Prior CPG, handler, or loadport experience inside KLA or at a Tier-1 supplier (Rorze, Yaskawa, Kawasaki, Sinfonia, KRI, or equivalent)

•  Familiarity with the Product Development Lifecycle operating model, including the handoff between Engineering to Services Support.

•  Demonstrated track record of using the latest technology — including AI and agentic tooling — to scale a service team's capacity without scaling its headcount proportionally; concrete examples preferred (deployed AI-assisted troubleshooting, knowledge retrieval, log-analysis copilots, or similar tools in a production service operation)

•  A leadership style that is candid about performance and equally invested in the people                                                            

•   Experience presenting service operations strategy and performance to executives at the VP, EVP, or President level

•   Multilingual capability — Mandarin, Korean, or Japanese would be a plus

•   Comfort with Snowflake, Power BI, or equivalent data tooling; ability to partner with a data-science team on TSE utilization analytics, escalation  analytics, and Cost-of-Service measurement

•   Advanced degree (MS or MBA) in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field

•  Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related field) or equivalent professional service-operations experience

• 6+ years of experience in semiconductor capital-equipment service operations, with at least 3 years in a management role owning a multi-region technical support team

• Demonstrated track record running an L1–L4 escalation governance model at a Tier-1 fab customer (TSMC, Intel, Samsung, Hynix, Micron, or equivalent)

• Workforce planning and hiring experience across multiple regions, including certification program ownership and managing distributed teams operating across multiple time zones.

• Direct executive communication experience at the VP+ level

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in a related filed or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience

• 6 plus years of related experience with proven ability to lead including 2 years plug of management experience

Base Pay Range: $103,200.00 - $175,400.00 Annually

Primary Location: USA-AZ-Phoenix-KLA

KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

               

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.

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 talent.acquisition@kla.com to confirm the person you are communicating with is an employee. We take your privacy very seriously and confidentially handle your information.