Deine zukünftigen Aufgaben

In the position as Staff Research Engineer you are the central technical interface across SAL’s technology platforms and pilot-line activities. You ensure coherent end-to-end process flows, strong documentation and traceability, and effective coordination between R&D teams, pilot-line technical leads, and SAL MicroFab. You also support external requests by translating them into executable technical scopes.

Your responsibilities include:

• Cross-platform process integration: maintain an end-to-end overview of process flows and module interfaces (e.g., thin films, lithography, etch, metrology closure) across integrated photonics, MEMS and related technology stacks.
• Baseline flows & readiness: define and maintain reference flows versus development lanes; support readiness reviews and ensure clear release criteria for stable execution.
• Process change control & documentation discipline: ensure recipe/version control, run cards, parameter windows, and structured documentation of decisions and learnings.
• Know-how capture: support structured capture of process know-how and clarify what can be shared externally vs protected, in collaboration with responsible functions.
• Traceability / data backbone: ensure wafer genealogy, run history, recipe versions, and measurement linkage are consistently captured to build a scalable single source of truth.
• Coordination interface: act as the key technical coordination contact with SAL MicroFab to align run readiness, documentation requirements, execution constraints, and release criteria (without owning MicroFab operations).
• Stability & continuous improvement: drive variability reduction and improvement loops (metrology closure, deviation handling, root-cause analysis) and feed improvements back into baseline flows and documentation.
• External request (open access): support business development and pilot-line teams by translating external requests into executable technical scopes (capability check, feasibility, assumptions/risks, measurement package, deliverables) and matching requests to the right platform capability.

Dein Profil

• Proven experience (min. 8+ years) in semiconductor process integration and wafer fab execution in an applied R&D / microfabrication environment.
• MSc/PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, Microsystems, or comparable.
• Strong understanding of thin-film and microfabrication process flows and interface points (module integration, variability drivers, metrology closure).
• Demonstrated strength in documentation discipline; experience with traceability/MES workflows is a plus.
• Structured, data-driven problem solving (variability/yield thinking, root-cause analysis; SPC/DoE basics appreciated).
• Strong communication and coordination skills across technical teams in a matrix organization; comfortable interfacing with external partners/users.
• Fluent English; German is a plus.

Wichtige Fakten über SAL

• Diverse research activities with many technical challenges.
• State-of-the-art laboratory facilities and equipment. 
• Location in the heart of Europe in Austria – relocation support for non-European nationalities.
• Internal and external training opportunities for career development.
• Family & children friendly - actively shaping the compatibility of family and career.
• “Vital4SAL” to promote a healthy workplace (e.g. SAL coaching pool, trainings on mental health, physical activities, healthy snacks, 24/7 accident insurance)
• € 4 per day meal allowance in restaurants or € 2 per working day in supermarkets.
• Public transport initiative (subsidy for the “Klimaticket”)
• Our values: Open door policy, flexibility in working hours, casual dress code, diverse teams, working with people of different nationalities, informal communication, lifelong learning, compatibility of family and career, sustainability, personal growth, and collective advancement.

This position is subject to the Collective Agreement for employees in non-university research (Research CA) starting in occupational group F (F1 salary = EUR 4.757,- paid 14 times a year, based on 38,5 hours per week). For this position we offer competitive salaries and additional benefits based on your experience and qualifications, starting with a minimum gross salary of EUR 70.000 (annual, based on an All-in contract and bonus).

Über uns

 
Silicon Austria Labs GmbH (SAL) ist Österreichs Spitzenforschungszentrum für elektronikbasierte Systeme – sie sind das technologische Rückgrat der Digitalisierung. An den Standorten Graz, Villach und Linz wird in den Bereichen Sensor Systems, Power Electronics, Intelligent Wireless Systems, Microsystems und Embedded Systems an zukunftsweisenden Lösungen für Umweltschutz, Gesundheit, Energie, Mobilität und Sicherheit geforscht. SAL bringt dabei wesentliche Akteure aus Industrie und Wissenschaft und damit wertvolle Expertise und Know-how zusammen und betreibt kooperative, anwendungsorientierte Forschung entlang der Wertschöpfungskette. Kooperative Projekte werden von SAL kofinanziert und ermöglichen einen unbürokratischen und schnellen Projektstart. Damit gestaltet SAL den Hochtechnologiestandort Österreich und Europa und entfaltet die Zukunft.
 

Innovation steht bei uns an erster Stelle, und das gilt auch für unsere Mitarbeiter*innen. Wir sind ein familienfreundliches Unternehmen und unterstützen die Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Familie so weit wie möglich. Deshalb sind wir bis 2026 mit dem Zertifikat "Beruf und Familie" ausgezeichnet worden. Aber wir arbeiten ständig an neuen Maßnahmen, um unseren Mitarbeitern ein Umfeld zu bieten, in dem sie sich wohlfühlen, gesund und motiviert sind.

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