Field Application Engineer

Location: San Jose, CA (Hybrid - 4/days, Friday remote)

Our Team:

Semtech is a recognized leader in 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:   

We are looking for someone with drive, technical curiosity, and a genuine enthusiasm for working with customers. Whether your background is 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

• We’re looking for someone with an independent drive to uncover new opportunities for Semtech’s ESD Protection and Sensing products.

• Work alongside our Bay Area FAE team as the technical point of contact for consumer accounts, building strong, trust-based relationships with customer engineering teams

• Support customers through device selection, schematic review, PCB layout guidance, and design-in best practices

• Provide creative, practical input into customer design solutions — going beyond the datasheet to address real system-level challenges

• The consumer market is fast paced and our customers expect our FAE’s to 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

• Working 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.

• Knowledge of 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)

• 3-5 years of FAE (or Applications/Product/Systems Engin