Director, IT Advanced Analytics and Data Solutions

Who We Are

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips – the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world – like AI and IoT. If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world. 

What We Offer

Salary:

$218,500.00 - $300,500.00

Location:

Santa Clara,CA

You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more. 

At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits. 

Position Overview

Applied Materials is seeking an exceptional engineering leader to drive the modernization and continuous improvement of our API engineering, developer productivity, and test automation capabilities. Reporting to the VP of Engineering, this leader will oversee a large-scale distributed engineering organization, championing cloud-native architecture, AI-driven development practices, and a high-velocity delivery culture across 750+ engineers.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record of leading complex, enterprise-scale technology transformations, building and inspiring high-performing teams, and delivering measurable business outcomes through technology. You thrive at the intersection of technical depth and organizational leadership, enabling teams to move faster while maintaining quality and reliability.

Key Responsibilities

API Engineering & Platform Leadership

• Lead enterprise API platforms at scale (GraphQL federation, microservices, REST) and modernize legacy .NET monoliths to Python microservices.

• Build unified API observability (OpenTelemetry) with SLIs/SLOs, and oversee search platform migrations (Solr to Elasticsearch).

• Govern API standards and architectural patterns org-wide.

Developer Productivity & Engineering Excellence

• Own a developer productivity playbook spanning Agile delivery, CI/CD, and AI coding tools (Copilot, Windsurf); drive throughput gains via KPIs (velocity, deployment frequency) and org-wide copilot adoption.

• Use Jira and productivity dashboards to identify bottlenecks and skill gaps, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.

Test Automation & Quality Engineering

• Lead test automation (unit, integration, regression, performance, security) across 70+ apps, scaling to near-complete coverage with Playwright and AI test generation and cutting cycle times from days to hours.

• Drive UAT and production defects toward near-zero by embedding shift-left quality practices across the SDLC.

Cloud & Integration Platform Modernization

• Lead Azure cloud adoption and modernize legacy integration platforms, adopting iPaaS solutions (webMethods.io, Boomi) to replace aging middleware.

• Formalize change management for large-scale transformations, ensuring smooth adoption and robust rollback plans.

Organizational Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, and hire a diverse engineering leadership bench; optimize team structures and career paths across management and IC tracks while fostering a recognition-rich culture.

• Partner with product, architecture, security, and business stakeholders to align engineering with enterprise goals.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 15+ years of progressive software engineering experience, with 7+ years in senior engineering leadership roles managing large organizations (200+ engineers).

• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-scale technology modernization efforts: microservices migration, API platform transformation, cloud adoption (Azure preferred).

• Proven track record of on-time, on-budget delivery of large, complex engineer