# Senior Process Engineer - Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)

**Company**: Rigetti Computing
**Location**: Fremont, CA
**Work arrangement**: onsite
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Salary**: USD 170,000-200,000 per-year-salary
**Category**: Engineering
**Industry**: Technology

**Apply**: https://jobs.lever.co/rigetti/c23b1efb-102c-4487-b9d0-c714384fbd8e?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_5c23d6e4-cc2

## Description

Rigetti Computing is developing superconducting quantum computers to solve some of humanity's most challenging computational problems.

As a Senior Process Engineer – Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), you will own the process health and performance of one or more production deposition modules used to fabricate superconducting quantum processors , developing, optimizing, and qualifying thin-film deposition processes, and using data to drive continuous improvement.

## Key Responsibilities

- Own the process health and performance of assigned PVD modules through SPC, process monitoring, and data analysis.

- Develop, optimize, and qualify thin-film deposition processes for superconducting resonators, signal wiring, and interconnect structures , including qualification of new equipment, materials, and process technologies.

- Analyze process, metrology, and electrical characterization data to improve reproducibility and device performance.

- Lead root-cause investigations and implement corrective and preventive actions for process, equipment, and materials-related issues, including those requiring cross-functional coordination.

- Partner with facilities and equipment engineering to coordinate preventive maintenance, support equipment recovery, and lead process qualification following maintenance or repairs.

- Document process development activities, author and maintain standard operating procedures, and train process technicians on new processes and equipment operation.

## Growth/Stretch Responsibilities

- Contribute to and, with increasing scope, help set the technical roadmap for your process area , equipment strategy, capability investments, and long-term scalability.

- Mentor and technically review the work of process engineers or technicians as opportunities arise.

- Represent process engineering in cross-functional design and technical reviews, helping drive trade-off decisions across materials, process integration, design, and quantum engineering.

## Qualifications

- Master's degree with 4–6 years of relevant industry or research experience, or a PhD with 2+ years of relevant industry, postdoctoral, or research experience, in Materials Science, Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.

- Hands-on experience with PVD equipment (sputtering, e-beam, or thermal evaporation) and semiconductor fabrication processes; direct, sustained experience with 4-inch or 6-inch wafer processing required.

- Strong working knowledge of vacuum systems and thin-film deposition processes, including diagnosing process or tool drift.

- Strong understanding of semiconductor fabrication processes and superconducting or semiconductor device physics.

- Experience with process development, experimental design (DOE), and engineering data analysis, with examples of using data to drive process decisions.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation.

- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional engineering environment.

- Comfortable operating with real autonomy in a fast-paced R&D environment with evolving technical priorities.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience leading the end-to-end qualification of a new process, tool, or material into production or scaled R&D use.

- Experience mentoring other engineers or technicians, or setting technical direction within a process area.

- Experience owning a process module through multiple technology generations or major equipment transitions.

- Track record of publications, patents, or documented internal process-capability improvements.

- Experience with superconducting thin films or device fabrication.

- Experience developing thin-film processes for semiconductor, superconducting, or quantum technologies.

- Hands-on experience with thin-film characterization techniques such as ellipsometry, AFM, SEM, XRR, XRD, or related methods.

- Experience analyzing engineering data using statistical methods and tools such as JMP, Python, MATLAB, or similar software.

- Exposure to quantum computing, cryogenic measurements, or superconducting device technologies.

- Experience working in a startup or R&D-focused engineering environment.

## Skills

### Required
- Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)
- semiconductor fabrication
- thin-film deposition
- process development
- experimental design
- engineering data analysis
- technical documentation
- collaborative engineering
- autonomy in R&D

### Nice to have
- leading process qualification
- mentoring engineers
- setting technical direction
- superconducting thin films
- device fabrication
- thin-film characterization
- statistical analysis
- quantum computing
- cryogenic measurements

---

Source: [Apply at jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/rigetti/c23b1efb-102c-4487-b9d0-c714384fbd8e?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)