Company Overview
KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world’s leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow’s electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.
Group/Division
With over 40 years of semiconductor process control experience, chipmakers around the globe rely on KLA to ensure that their fabs ramp next-generation devices to volume production quickly and cost-effectively. Enabling the movement towards advanced chip design, KLA's Global Products Group (GPG), which is responsible for creating all of KLA’s metrology and inspection products, is looking for the best and the brightest research scientist, software engineers, application development engineers, and senior product technology process engineers. Central Engineering is KLA's largest engineering organization comprised of 9 Centers-of-Excellence (CoE) in various disciplines applied across all product groups in the company. These CoE include Handling & Automation, Precision Motion Control, Sensors & Image Acquisition, Platform Design, and Packaging Engineering, among others. Talent includes over 500 engineers across global centers in Israel, China, India, and the US. Each CoE contributes not just talent and deliverables per discipline toward product programs, but also subject matter expertise, best practices, roadmaps, specialized facilities, apparatus, models, and analytics. These differentiate KLA not only in WHAT we do, but also in HOW we do it.
Job Description/Preferred Qualifications
The Staff Statistician provides strategic leadership for applied statistics, probability modeling, and reliability analytics across KLA’s product, engineering and service organizations! The statistician is accountable for defining the enterprise statistical strategy, providing rigor and consistency in modeling approaches, and translating complex data into insights that inform product and process decisions and priorities. This role combines technical expertise with organizational leadership, influencing outcomes across multiple teams and programs rather than owning day‑to‑day execution alone.
Strategic Leadership
Define and own KLA’s use of statistical methods in the product life cycle.
Partner with senior engineering and product leaders to align statistical insights with business, roadmap, and risk decisions.
Identify new opportunities for the application of statistical methods in a variety of areas.
Foster a culture of statistical rigor, intellectual curiosity, and multi-functional collaboration.
Technical Leadership
Define and deliver hands-on statistics' training to engineers
Design, implement, and analyze experiments (e.g., DOE) to support product and process development, and equipment performance in our customer sites.
Review and validate critical analyses that inform high‑impact product, quality, or customer decisions.
Develop and maintain statistical models for manufacturing, process capability, measurement repeatability, equipment matching, equipment performance and equipment reliability.
Perform root cause analysis using statistical tools to identify and resolve process and product issues.
Create dashboards and software analytics for monitoring key indicators for manufacturing and field performance.
Provide training and consulting to colleagues and teams on statistical methods, data analysis techniques, and best practices to foster a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision making.
Cross‑Functional Influence
Serve as a trusted advisor to engineering, product, quality, and operations leadership.
Form cross-functional teams to solve customer escalation problems
Translate complex statistical results into clear, actionable narratives for executive and non‑technical audiences.
Communicate statistical findings and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders and key customers, at any level of management and technical sophistication.
Qualifications
Master’s or Ph.D. in Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
Minimum 5 years of experience in a statistician or closely related role, preferably in a manufacturing, engineering, or high-tech environment.; 8+ years desired.
Excellent training, communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
Expert user of statistical software (e.g., JMP, Minitab, SPSS, R, or SAS). Some scripting and programming experience is desired.
Strong understanding of experimental design, regression analysis, multivariate analysis, and process control.
Demonstrated experience in analyzing large and complex datasets, as well as small datasets, for maximum insights.
Minimum Qualifications
Doctorate (Academic) Degree and related work experience of 5 years; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 8 years;
Base Pay Range: $186,200.00 - $316,500.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA
KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.
Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.
Be aware of potentially fraudulent job postings or suspicious recruiting activity by persons that are currently posing as KLA employees. KLA never asks for any financial compensation to be considered for an interview, to become an employee, or for equipment. Further, KLA does not work with any recruiters or third parties who charge such fees either directly or on behalf of KLA. Please ensure that you have searched KLA’s Careers website for legitimate job postings. KLA follows a recruiting process that involves multiple interviews in person or on video conferencing with our hiring managers. If you are concerned that a communication, an interview, an offer of employment, or that an employee is not legitimate, please send an email to talent.acquisition@kla.com to confirm the person you are communicating with is an employee. We take your privacy very seriously and confidentially handle your information.