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Surface Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

LiveKit

Senior Product Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$135K - $300K/yr

About This Role We're hiring Product Engineers to build the surfaces developers use to ship agentic applications on LiveKit. Most of this work lives on the web and in our CLI: the dashboards, tooling ...

Motion Recruitment Partners, LLC

$150K/yr

Lead Engineer, Precision Interconnect Systems - Full-Time / Canada An innovative engineering and ... Experience selecting materials, coatings, and surface treatments to enhance durability and ...

Integrated Magnetics

CNC Surface Grinder

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$45/hr

The CNC Surface Grinder will be responsible for setting up and programming machines, monitoring operations, and ensuring parts meet quality and specification standards. This role supports our mission ...

Integrated Magnetics

CNC Surface Grinder

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$45/hr

The CNC Surface Grinder will be responsible for setting up and programming machines, monitoring operations, and ensuring parts meet quality and specification standards. This role supports our mission ...

Mattson Technology

RF Engineer 1

Fremont, CA · On-site

Innovations from Mattson Technology in Atomic Surface Engineering address the most critical logic and memory manufacturing challenges. In May 2016, Mattson Technology was acquired by Beijing's E-Town ...

LAM RESEARCH Corporation

Process Engineer 4

Fremont, CA · On-site

$100 - $125/hr

The impact you'll make As a Process Engineer at Lam, you will work with cutting‑edge technology, harnessing atomic precision, materials science, and surface engineering to push technical boundaries.

Mattson Technology, Inc.

RF Engineer 1

Fremont, CA · On-site

Innovations from Mattson Technology in Atomic Surface Engineering address the most critical logic and memory manufacturing challenges. In May 2016, Mattson Technology was acquired by Beijing's E-Town ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsSurface Engineer JobsSurface Engineer Jobs in California

Surface Engineer information

What is a surface engineer?

Surface engineers are professionals who specialize in modifying and optimizing the surfaces of materials to enhance their performance, durability, and functionality. They work with coatings, treatments, and advanced materials to protect surfaces from corrosion, wear, or environmental damage. Surface engineers play a key role in industries such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, and energy by improving the lifespan and efficiency of components. Their work often involves research, testing, and the application of new technologies to solve complex surface-related challenges.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a surface engineer?

To thrive as a Surface Engineer, you need a strong background in materials science, surface chemistry, and engineering principles, typically supported by a degree in engineering or a related field. Familiarity with analytical tools such as scanning electron microscopes (SEM), atomic force microscopes (AFM), and surface characterization software is important, along with certifications in materials analysis or relevant quality standards. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication are valuable soft skills for collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and addressing technical challenges. These competencies are crucial for developing advanced surface solutions, ensuring product quality, and driving innovation in various industries.

What are some typical challenges surface engineers face when working on materials for high-performance applications?

Surface Engineers often encounter challenges related to optimizing surface properties such as hardness, corrosion resistance, and wear without compromising the material's overall integrity. Balancing cost-effective solutions with advanced surface treatments can also be demanding, especially when working under tight project deadlines. Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams—including materials scientists, mechanical engineers, and manufacturing specialists—is essential to ensure that surface modifications align with broader product requirements and quality standards.

What is the difference between Surface Engineer vs Coatings Engineer?

AspectSurface EngineerCoatings Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related fields; certifications like NACE or SSPCBachelor's in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science; similar certifications in coatings and corrosion
Work EnvironmentIndustrial facilities, manufacturing plants, research labsCoating application sites, manufacturing, quality control labs
Industry UsageOil & gas, aerospace, automotive, manufacturingProtective coatings, paints, corrosion prevention in similar industries

Surface Engineers focus on the overall surface treatment and material properties, while Coatings Engineers specialize in applying and developing protective coatings. Both roles often overlap in industries like aerospace and manufacturing, sharing similar credentials and work environments.

Surface Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Surface Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution.

Senior Materials and Surface Science Engineer

nEye.ai

Santa Clara, CA

$230K - $270K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 9 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Analyze how surface chemistry and material interfaces in silicon-based photonic and MEMS systems impact device performance.

  • Partner with design and process teams to translate material insights into improved device performance and manufacturability.

  • Design and interpret experiments involving thin films, interfaces, and surface treatments to evaluate their effects on optical and mechanical device behavior.

Job description

About us

nEye.ai, a well-funded optical switch startup, is poised to revolutionize the future of data centers. nEye’s MEMS-based silicon photonics optical circuit switches (OCS) eliminate critical bottlenecks in AI processing by enabling direct optical connections among thousands of GPUs and memory units. The company's OCS is an ultra-low power consumption, high radix, compact chip-scale design, offering hyperscale data centers enhanced performance, efficiency, and scalability.

Job Overview

We are looking for a senior individual contributor with deep expertise in materials science and surface chemistry as it applies to semiconductor fabrication and optical systems.

This role is critical to understanding and improving how fabrication processes at the material and interface level impact optical performance in our silicon photonics devices.

You will work across design, process, and test to analyze, diagnose, and improve material interfaces, thin films, and surface interactions that directly affect device behavior, reliability, and yield.

Key Responsibilities

  • Investigate how surface chemistry and material interfaces in silicon-based photonic and MEMS material systems impact performance

  • Analyze effects of etching, deposition, oxidation, and plasma processes on surface states, morphology, and optical mechanisms

  • Partner with design and process teams to translate material-level insights into improved device performance and manufacturability

  • Lead investigations connecting fabrication outcomes to device-level optical and mechanical performance

  • Design and interpret experiments involving thin films, interfaces, and surface treatments (e.g., passivation, cleaning, annealing)

  • Collaborate with fabrication partners on process evaluation and optimization

  • Utilize and guide characterization efforts using techniques such as SEM, TEM, AFM, XPS, ellipsometry, SIMS, etc.

  • Develop models or frameworks that connect process to material properties and optical outcomes

Required Qualifications

  • PhD in Materials Science, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field

  • 7 - 15+ years of experience in semiconductor, photonics, or adjacent advanced materials environments

  • Deep understanding of surface chemistry and interface physics in semiconductor systems

  • Expertise in dielectric and semiconductor thin films and metallization.

  • Strong knowledge of plasma processes, etching, deposition, oxidation, and their impact on materials

  • Strong intuition for how material properties affect optical phenomena

  • Experience working in or closely with semiconductor fabs / foundries

  • Hands-on experience with failure analysis and materials characterization techniques

Nice to Have Skills

  • Direct experience with silicon photonics or optical devices

  • Familiarity with waveguides, optical interfaces, or photonic integration

  • Experience in MEMS fabrication or integration

  • Background in process development or integration engineering

  • Exposure to modeling optical-material interactions

Starting salary and title will depend on, and be commensurate with, relevant industry experience, skills, training, education, market demands, and the ultimate job duties and requirements.
nEye.ai is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.