Field Application Engineer - Semiconductor
Location: San Jose, CA (Hybrid - 4/days, Friday remote)
Our Team:
Semtech is a recognized leader in electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and capacitive / force sensing solutions that are utilized in the consumer electronics products people rely on every day — from smartphones and tablets to wearables and smart home devices. As consumer platforms continue to push the boundaries of miniaturization, interface speed, and tactile interaction, the need for knowledgeable, customer-focused application support has never been greater.
Job Summary:
The consumer electronics market is fast-paced and high-touch in terms of the development life cycle. We are looking for an engineer with drive, technical curiosity, and a genuine enthusiasm for working with customers. Irrespective if you are already in field applications engineering or in an internal applications/product engineering role, what matters most is that you are passionate about technology, energized by customer interaction, and motivated to help engineers solve real design problems with Semtech solutions.
In this role you will engage directly with consumer electronics customers, build deep expertise in ESD protection and capacitive/force sensing applications, and own design win activity to expand Semtech’s growth. You will work alongside an experienced West Coast FAE team that will support your development.
Responsibilities:
Customer Engagement & Technical Support ---------------------------------------
- Support customers through device selection, schematic review, PCB layout guidance, and design-in best practices
- Work alongside our Bay Area FAE and Sales team as the technical point of contact for consumer accounts, building strong, trust-based relationships with customer engineering teams
- Independently uncover new opportunities for Semtech’s ESD Protection and Sensing products.
- Provide creative, practical input into customer design solutions — going beyond the datasheet to address real system-level challenges
- Respond to inquiries with a sense of urgency while also maintaining consistent follow-through on all open technical issues
Design Win Ownership --------------------
- Take independent ownership of design win activity at assigned accounts, proactively driving engagements from initial opportunity identification through customer commitment
- Propose complete, system-level solutions that maximize Semtech content and clearly position Semtech’s advantages over our competitors
- Partner closely with the regional sales team throughout the sales cycle to align on strategy and accelerate design-in timelines
Application & Product Knowledge -------------------------------
- Develop expertise in ESD protection fundamentals: IEC 61000-4-2 / IEC 61000-4-5 / JEDEC HBM/CDM standards / Surge as well as typical ESD Component Electrical Characteristics. Assist with protection topology selection for high-speed consumer interfaces (USB, Antennas, HDMI, Ethernet, MIPI…) as well as lower speed interfaces and power rails.
- Develop expertise in capacitive and force sensing architectures: sensor types, firmware integration, sensitivity tuning, and noise management for consumer applications
- Conduct in-depth competitive analysis to confidently articulate Semtech’s technical differentiation in competitive situations
- Support evaluation board bring-up and product demonstrations for new ESD and sensing introductions
- As needed, create application notes, reference designs, and customer-facing technical content that demonstrates Semtech’s application expertise
- Stay current on consumer electronics trends across smartphones, wearables, hearables, laptops, gaming, and smart home platforms
Cross-Functional Collaboration ------------------------------
- Relay customer feedback, field observations, and competitive intelligence to product line managers and applications engineering teams
- Contribute to product roadmap discussions based on customer design trends and unmet application requirements
- Build productive working relationships across internal Semtech sales, marketing, and applications engineering to ensure customers receive a seamless experience
Minimum Qualifications:
We welcome candidates that already have field applications experience but we’re also open to considering other engineering disciplines — the end goal is an individual with passion for technology, a drive to win, and genuine excitement about working directly with customers.
Education and Background
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (open to considering other engineering disciplines)
- 2-5 years of FAE (or Applications/Product/Systems Engineering) experience at a semiconductor company, distributor, or OEM/ODM
- Experience supporting customers through design-in cycles
- Comfortable working independently with customers and managing multiple concurrent engagements
- Strong communicator who can translate technical depth into clear, compelling guidance for customers
- Genuine enthusiasm for customer engagement — energized by solving problems alongside engineers
- Competitive drive, sense of urgency, and strong follow-through; understands that timely engagement directly impacts design win outcomes at fast paced consumer customers
Desired Qualifications
- Familiarity with ESD protection, analog mixed-signal ICs, and/or sensing products is a strong plus
- Prior exposure to consumer electronics platforms: smartphones, wearables, hearables, laptops, or smart home devices
WHY SEMTECH
This role is built to give you real ownership, direct customer impact, and the mentorship of an experienced West Coast FAE team.
The consumer market moves fast and the problems are real. Every design win you drive ends up in a product used by millions of people. You will build the technical depth, customer relationships, and business acumen to serve our customers well and also define a long and rewarding FAE career for you at Semtech.
The intent of this job description is to describe the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically included in this description.
All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace.
A reasonable estimate of the pay range for this position is $94K - $140K. There are several factors taken into consideration in determining base salary, including but not limited to: job-related qualifications, skills, education and experience, as well as job location and the value of other elements of an employee’s total compensation package.
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About Semtech
Semtech Corp supplies analog, mixed-signal semiconductors, and algorithms for enterprise, communication, and industrial applications.
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