Head of Probes, Rotterdam

As Head of Probes, you operate with a founder’s mindset: full ownership, high velocity, and relentless focus on impact. You are responsible for building, scaling, and continuously evolving the probes business, from early concept to high-volume production.

You combine deep technical judgment with pragmatic execution, driving both product excellence and operational scalability. You don’t just manage a business unit, you shape it, challenge assumptions, and build the systems, teams, and partnerships needed to win.

You act as the integrator across Development&Engineering, System Engineering, Operations, and external partners, while maintaining a strong bias for action, simplicity, and results.

You will lead a complex, multidisciplinary business unit, at the intersection of innovative probe manufacturing technologies and operational execution. You will be responsible for driving the development, industrialization, and delivery of AFM probe solutions that are critical to the performance of our semiconductor metrology systems at our clients.

You ensure that newly developed probe technologies are successfully brought from concept to scalable manufacturing and delivered to customers in line with the highest quality standards required in semiconductor high-volume manufacturing environments.

Key Responsibilities Business Unit Ownership

Own the probes business end-to-end with full accountability for performance across cost, quality, delivery, and roadmap

Act as a“mini-CEO” for the domain, making fast, high-quality decisions with incomplete information

Define and continuously refine the strategy based on technical realities, market needs, and scaling constraints

Build and shape the organization, ensuring the right talent, structure, and capabilities are in place

Drive alignment across Development, Manufacturing, Sourcing, and System Engineering

Program&Lifecycle Execution

Drive the full probes portfolio from concept to volume production with a strong focus on speed and predictability

Cut through complexity, prioritize what matters and remove blockers quickly

Ensure structured execution with clear milestones and deliverables

Balance long-term decisions with short-term delivery pressure

Take ownership of trade-offs across time, cost, and quality without hiding behind process

Manufacturing&Industrialization

Own the transition from development of our probe products to robust high-volume manufacturing

Push for simplicity and manufacturability early in design, avoid overengineering

Drive yield, cycle time, and cost improvements with a hands‑on, data‑driven approach

Ensure the production system can scale rapidly without compromising quality

Build lean, scalable processes rather than heavy frameworks

Leverage automation, data, and digitalization to improve reliability and throughput

Focus on first‑time‑right and reducing variability instead of adding control layers

Continuously challenge existing processes and eliminate inefficiencies

Supplier&Ecosystem Strategy

Build strong, trust‑based partnerships with key suppliers, and drive for performance on quality, delivery, and cost

Treat suppliers as extensions of the team while holding a high performance bar

Actively shape the ecosystem to enable innovation, robustness, speed, and scalability

Intervene directly when critical supplier issues arise, no escalation layers

Technology&Product Direction

Define and co‑own the probes technology roadmap with System Engineering and Product Management

Translate ambiguity into clear technical direction and priorities

Drive innovation pragmatically, focus on what delivers value, not just what is interesting

Ensure early integration of manufacturability, reliability, and cost in design decisions

Cross‑Functional Leadership

Operate as the central decision‑maker across engineering, operations, and program management

Drive alignment through clarity and ownership, not hierarchy

Create a culture of accountability, speed, and direct communication

Be deeply involved where it matters most, especially in critical technical or execution challenges

Your Profile

MSc or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field

10+ years of experience in high‑tech product development and manufacturing (e.g., semiconductors, precision engineering, mechatronics)

Proven ability to lead in ambiguity and build structure

Strong track record in scaling complex products from development into production

Hands‑on mindset with the ability to go from strategy to execution quickly

Experience managing suppliers and external ecosystems in high‑performance environments

Solid understanding of quality management principles

Sharp prioritization skills and a bias for action

Entrepreneurial, resilient, and comfortable taking ownership under pressure

What we offer

A high‑impact leadership role with full ownership of a critical business domain

The opportunity to build and scale next‑generation probe technologies

A fast‑paced, execution‑driven environment with minimal bureaucracy

Direct influence and impact on product, technology, and operational strategy

Collaboration with leading experts in semiconductors and precision engineering

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