Customer Application Engineer Jobs in California

Who We Are

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips - the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world - like AI and IoT. If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world.

What We Offer

Salary:

Location:

You'll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible-while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more.

At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We're committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits.

Role Overview

We are looking for an Application Engineer to develop and deploy advanced analytics for complex industrial systems.
In this role, you will work at the intersection of engineering domain knowledge, data analytics, and AI/ML, helping translate operational needs into scalable, productionready analytical solutions used in real manufacturing environments.
This is a handson technical role that collaborates closely with product, software, and customerfacing teams to deliver highimpact digital solutions from concept to deployment.

Key Responsibilities

Break down complex engineering problems and unstructured domain knowledge into structured analytical inputs
Analyze operational data to identify patterns, anomalies, and actionable insights for system performance improvement
Identify edge cases, gaps, and failure modes in analytical solutions and drive continuous improvements
Interpret model outputs and translate results into engineering recommendations
Design, develop, and maintain analytics and algorithmic models for industrial applications
Prototype new algorithmic approaches and support transition into production software
Own the performance and reliability of deployed solutions and continuously improve them
Manage analytics lifecycle activities including validation, versioning, and release readiness
Validate analytical models against real-world scenarios, including false positive / false negative analysis, and ensure robustness and practical usability before and after deployment
Work closely with domain experts (e.g., engineering teams) to translate domain knowledge into scalable solutions
Collaborate with product, software, and field teams to deploy and continuously improve solutions
Participate in technical requirements definition, prioritization, and schedule alignment
Produce clear technical documentation, reports, and presentations to support development, validation, and deployment

Required Qualifications

Experience & Background

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science or a related field.
5+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 2+ years with a Master's degree, in application engineering, algorithm development, or related technical roles
Experience in industrial, manufacturing, or complex system environments strongly preferred
Experience with model/version lifecycle management, release processes, or production software environments

Core Skills

Self-starter with strong problem-solving skills and a research-oriented mindset
Ability to translate data insights into practical engineering decisions
Strong ability to work across engineering, software, and data analytics domains
Hands-on experience analyzing and working with real-world equipment or operational datasets
Comfortable working with ambiguous or incomplete problem definitions and driving them into structured solutions
Ability to understand and reason about complex systems and interactions across multiple components
Basic programming skills (Python, R, or similar) for data analysis and prototyping
Practical familiarity with applying modern AI/ML techniques (including Generative AI) to knowledge extraction, summarization, or decision support
Comfortable working in cross-functional, global teams
Highly organized and able to manage multiple parallel technical initiatives
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Comfortable leading technical discussions and troubleshooting complex problems
Motivated to see solutions move from concept deployment scale

Preferred / NicetoHave

Exposure to semiconductor equipment systems
Exposure to advanced AI/ML techniques (e.g., deep learning, optimization, or large-scale data systems)
Experience supporting customer-facing or field-deployed technical solutions
Strong software development experience in Python, R, C#, or similar (production-quality code, system integration)

Why This Role Is Unique

This is a critical bridge role connecting engineering domain knowledge with modern analytics and AI technologies to deliver realworld, productionready solutions.
Your work will directly influence the success and scalability of an AIdriven product used in complex industrial environments.

Additional Information

Time Type:

Employee Type:

Travel:

Relocation Eligible:

The salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and with consideration of internal equity of our current team members. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.

For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the Target Total Cash (TTC) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target bonus amount at 100% goal achievement.

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

In addition, Applied endeavors to make our careers site accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us via e-mail at Accommodations_Program@amat.com, or by calling our HR Direct Help Line at 877-612-7547, option 1, and following the prompts to speak to an HR Advisor. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.