Systems Engineer – Platform Performance New Abingdon, UK

Salary: £51,000– £59,000 depending on experience + Private Health + Death in Service (x3 your salary)

Location: Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Working pattern: On site during probation, with hybrid flexibility where possible after that

Your recruitment journey:

• 1st stage: (45 minute) Remote meeting to evaluate your experience and technical ability
• 2nd stage: (2.5 hours) Face to face onsite evaluating technical, presentation and communication skills along with your ways of working and your opportunity to get to know more about us

Ready to take ownership of the performance that makes advanced semiconductor tools genuinely production-ready? Infinitesimabuilds high-precision metrology instruments that help enable the next generation of semiconductor devices. Our systems are used in demanding fab environments, where performance is not just about taking a great measurement. The tool also needs to move fast, land accurately, behave repeatably, and be quick to set up.

We are looking for a Systems Engineer – Platform Performance to own key performance functions across Metron, our high-throughput Atomic Force Microscopy platform. This is a role for someone who enjoys working across hardware, software, data and real-world system behaviour, and who wants genuine technical influence rather than a narrow engineering lane. The role owns throughput, wafer navigation accuracy, repeatability and time-to-recipe system functions for Metron. You will work closely with system function architects, engineering teams and stakeholders to define measurable requirements, build performance budgets, validate assumptions and drive improvements. Expect a strong mix of requirements definition, test planning, tool data analysis, integration support and technical trade-off work across mechanics, electronics, optics, control systems, software, motion and wafer handling.

What you will be doing:

• Owning system-level performance areas including throughput, wafer navigation, repeatability and time-to-recipe.
• Translating customer and stakeholder needs into clear, measurable platform performance specifications.
• Defining and managing performance budgets across wafer handling, stage motion, measurement workflows and data processing.
• Developing and running test plans to validate performance against requirements.
• Using tool logs, instrument data and evidence-based analysis to find where time, accuracy or repeatability are being lost.
• Working with engineering, quality and project teams to support integration, troubleshoot issues and drive practical improvements.
• Helping make the instrument faster to run, quicker to set up and more predictable in production use.

What we are looking for:

You will likely have experience in complex, high-precision or multi-disciplinary instrumentation. Semiconductor experience would be a strong bonus, but it is not a dealbreaker. We're looking for 5 - 10 years of industry experience within a relevant field. You will need experience with:

• Systems engineering, platform performance, throughput, timing, motion or positioning.
• Requirements definition and measurable specification writing.
• Analysing system-level data, logs or test results to identify performance limits.
• Working across disciplines such as mechanics, electronics, optics, software, control systems or motion systems.
• Instrument testing, verification and validation.
• Data analysis using tools such as Python, MATLAB or Excel.

Experience with wafer handling, stage/navigation systems, automation, Atomic Force Microscopy, C# or Python-based test automation would be useful, but not essential.

You will join a growing, high-calibre team of 100+ people based in Abingdon, backed by global financial and industry investors, including Applied Ventures. You will get real ownership, exposure to advanced semiconductor technology, and the chance to influence how a customer-proven platform performs in live production environments.

A bit about us: Infinitesimais a privately owned company founded in 2001, as a spin-out of the University of Bristol, by CTO Professor Andrew Humphris. Our dynamic team of scientists and engineers is focussed on enabling the next generation of semiconductor devices through delivery of innovative products to customers around the world. Our strength lies in the varied perspectives that come from different cultures, experiences, and identities. We believe that true innovation is fuelled by collaboration, locally and globally. We strive to foster an environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully and thrive.

If you require adjustments to take part in the recruitment process, please let us know, we’ll do our best to support you.

A note on how we run interviews: We use AI only to transcribe our interviews so we can focus fully on you instead of scribbling notes. The AI does not take part in any decision making at any stage. All hiring decisions are made by real humans based on the conversation we have with you.

Location and working pattern: We recognise the value of flexibility and offer a hybrid working model wherever possible. Most employees work onsite three days per week, although some positions require a greater onsite presence due to the nature of the work and business need.

Description: We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and aim to create a fair, supportive recruitment process. To keep things clear, this role needs someone who already has the permanent right to work in the UK. If a role calls for unique expertise that’s hard to find locally, we may explore sponsorship options — though this is uncommon.