1

Foundry Operator Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Head of Talent

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180K - $250K/yr

... operators, technicians, and quality staff. You will be accountable for all of it. Key Responsibilities * Own Foundry Robotics' talent strategy end to end, from headcount planning and role scoping ...

Diamond Foundry Inc. is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Our commitment extends to ensuring that our manufacturing and engineering departments ...

Diamond Foundry Inc. is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Our commitment extends to ensuring that our manufacturing and engineering departments ...

Sustaining Laser Engineer

Bodega Bay, CA · On-site

$100K - $150K/yr

Diamond Foundry Inc. is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Our commitment extends to ensuring that our manufacturing and engineering departments ...

Diamond Foundry Inc. is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Our commitment extends to ensuring that our manufacturing and engineering departments ...

Diamond Foundry Inc. is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Our commitment extends to ensuring that our manufacturing and engineering departments ...

Showing results 21-40

Foundry Operator information

See California salary details

$13

$19

$27

How much do foundry operator jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average hourly pay for foundry operator in California is $19.21, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.35 and $21.11 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a foundry operator?

Foundry operators are skilled workers responsible for operating and maintaining equipment used in metal casting processes. They prepare molds, handle molten metal, and monitor machinery to ensure the safe and efficient production of metal parts. Foundry operators must follow safety protocols, inspect finished products for quality, and perform routine maintenance on foundry equipment. Their role is essential in industries such as automotive, construction, and manufacturing, where metal components are produced.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a foundry operator, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Foundry Operator, you need a solid understanding of metallurgy, furnace operation, casting processes, and typically a high school diploma or vocational training. Familiarity with industrial machinery, safety protocols, and material handling systems is essential, and some roles may require forklift certification or OSHA training. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and strong teamwork skills help operators maintain quality standards and coordinate effectively on the production floor. These skills and qualifications are vital to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality metal casting operations in a demanding industrial environment.

What are some common challenges faced by foundry operators and how can they be addressed?

Foundry Operators often encounter challenges such as working in high-temperature environments, managing heavy machinery, and maintaining strict safety standards. One way to address these challenges is by adhering closely to safety protocols and using the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Regular training on equipment handling and emergency procedures also helps minimize risks. Additionally, effective communication with team members ensures smooth workflow and quick response to any operational issues.

What is the difference between Foundry Operator vs Metal Casting Technician?

AspectFoundry OperatorMetal Casting Technician
CredentialsHigh school diploma or equivalent; some roles may require certifications in safety or equipment operationHigh school diploma; technical training or certifications in casting processes
Work EnvironmentFactories or foundries with heavy machinery and molten metalsManufacturing plants focusing on metal casting and finishing
Industry UsageCommonly employed in metal foundries and manufacturingOften used interchangeably but may focus more on casting process specifics
Job FocusOperating equipment, ensuring safety, and maintaining production flowPreparing molds, pouring metals, and inspecting castings

While both roles involve working with metal casting processes, a Foundry Operator primarily manages equipment and safety in foundries, whereas a Metal Casting Technician focuses more on the technical aspects of mold preparation and casting quality. Understanding these distinctions helps in choosing the right career path or job search focus.

What job categories do people searching Foundry Operator jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Foundry Operator jobs in California are:

Infographic showing various Foundry Operator job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 82% Full Time, and 18% Nights. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $39,957 per year, or $19.2 per hour.

Senior Staff Engineer, Foundry (San Diego)

San Diego, CA • On-site

$58.75 - $75.75/hr

Full-time

Re-posted 7 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Maintain and sustain custom and off‑the‑shelf technologies at foundry partners, serving as the technical owner for governance and issue resolution.

  • Lead yield and quality excursions at the foundry, including root cause analysis, corrective actions, and technical narratives for customer-impacting events.

  • Own the technical change‑control workflow with foundry partners, including risk assessment, qualification, and internal release recommendations.


Job description

pSemi Corporation is a Murata company driving semiconductor integration. pSemi builds on Peregrine Semiconductor’s 30-year legacy of technology advancements and strong IP portfolio but with a new mission—to enhance Murata’s world‑class capabilities with high‐performance semiconductors. With a strong foundation in RF integration, pSemi’s product portfolio now spans power management, connected sensors, optical transceivers, antenna tuning and RF frontends. These intelligent and efficient semiconductors enable advanced modules for smartphones, base stations, personal computers, electric vehicles, data centres, IoT devices and healthcare. From headquarters in San Diego and offices around the world, pSemi’s team explores new ways to make electronics for the connected world smaller, thinner, faster and better.

Job Summary

This position is responsible for technical aspects of the foundry interface with external SOS, Off the Shelf, and SOI foundry partners. Senior Staff Foundry Engineer will drive and lead projects related sustaining fab process.

Roles & Responsibilities
  • Maintain and sustain custom and off‑the‑shelf technologies for pSemi and Murata at our foundry partners. Serves as the technical owner for governance of DRC and manufacturability inquiries, issue triage, escalation, and closure across design, CAD, and manufacturing stakeholders.
  • Lead yield and quality excursions at the foundry (containment, root cause, corrective and preventive action), partnering with Product Engineering and Customer Quality; drive executive‑ready technical narratives for customer‑impacting events (including RMAs).
  • Establish KPIs and reviews for excursion response time, recurring defect prevention, and yield learning transfer across products and technologies.
  • Provide foundry and device‑engineering technical leadership for technology development and sustaining, translating process and device learnings into design rules, sign‑off guidance, and reliability and yield guardbands.
  • Own the technical change‑control workflow with foundry partners (process changes, PCNs, mask and reticle changes, and wafer‑fab flows), including risk assessment, qualification strategy, and internal release recommendations.
  • Mentoring engineers to understand device physics and its relationship to product performance.
  • Front line communication channel for customer and company communication for any processing, quality, reliability, tapeout, NPI, B2B data and DRC issues on custom wafer‑fab processes and off‑the‑shelf wafer‑fab processes.
  • Customer engineering support as technical lead on wafer‑fab related issues.
  • Engage with CFTs to ensure manufacturing, DRC violations and assembly requirements are met.
  • Interact with business units, supply chain, technology development teams, design, NPI and assembly experts to drive next‑generation products with appropriate reticle layout, tapeout requirements, cycle time, fab processing, and capacity.
  • Review tapeout floorplan, frame structures to ensure foundry‑related test, assembly and customer requirements are met.
  • Manage and drive major fundamental changes to frame and reticle tapeout structures and procedures to accommodate changing assembly and customer product performance needs.
  • Lead end‑to‑end foundry transfer programs (qualification strategy, comparability plans, risk mitigation, and readiness reviews), ensuring continuity of yield, reliability, and cycle time for customer commitments.
  • Design and implement scalable foundry‑engineering operating processes (intake, prioritization, documentation, and post‑mortems) to improve cycle time, predictability, and cross‑site execution.
  • Leverage past expertise with fab processes to ensure new designs and processes capture and utilize lessons learnt from past processing, tapeout, technical investigations and system issues.
  • Travel up to 25% (Singapore and Japan).
Minimum Qualifications (Experience And Skills)
  • 10+ Years of experience including semiconductor manufacturing, process development, or foundry technical interface.
  • Experience working with deep sub‑micron fab processes, wafer‑fab organisations based in Asia.
  • Key experience interacting with product, technology, design, CAD, NPI, assembly, supply chain.
  • Demonstrated leadership of cross‑functional foundry programs with measurable outcomes (yield, excursion response, cycle time, reliability, or cost).
  • Experience driving foundry change control and PCNs and qualification decisions using structured risk and data analysis.
  • Strong external stakeholder management: leading technical escalations and negotiating technical trade‑offs with foundry counterparts.
  • Hands‑on understanding of tapeout readiness: DRC and DFM methodology, mask and reticle considerations, and manufacturing constraints.
Education Requirements
  • BS & 10‑12 years experience
  • MS & 7‑10 years experience
  • Ph.D. & 5‑7 years experience
Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, colour vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.

USD 185,785.06 - 241,533.96

pSemi Corporation supports a diverse workforce and is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for applicants and employees. pSemi does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, colour, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or breastfeeding), gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, legally‑protected medical condition, military or veteran status (including “protected veterans” under applicable affirmative action laws), marital status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal laws applicable to the Company. pSemi also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that an employee or applicant has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.

Note: The Peregrine Semiconductor name, Peregrine Semiconductor logo and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks and the pSemi name, pSemi logo, HaRP and DuNE are trademarks of pSemi Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. pSemi products are protected under one or more of the following U.S. Patents: http://patents.psemi.com

#J-18808-Ljbffr