icspi is building the future of nanoscale imaging for the semiconductor industry.

We’ve revolutionized atomic force microscopy (AFM) by miniaturizing it by a factor of 1,000,000x compared to traditional systems: integrating all the components of an AFM onto a single CMOS chip, which we call microAFM.

Our core tech is field-proven and used by scientists and engineers in over 40 countries.

Now we are using our core tech to solve throughput-resolution gaps in the semiconductor industry: catching nanoscale defects to enable current processes and prolong Moore's Law.

Today, scanning a wafer with AFM would take about 70 years. By using thousands of microAFMs in parallel, we can scan a wafer in a matter of hours.

To get an idea of what AFM is in one minute, watch this YouTube short that features one of our instruments and technology: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xKlqsv4nCao

About the role

As Senior Systems Engineer at icspi, you will be responsible for integration of all of our subsystems across mechanical, electrical, optical, controls, and software domains in our semiconductor tools. The success of our next-generation tool involves all of these tightly coupled systems coming together without integration issues. In this role, you will provide high-level design input for each subsystem, identifying risks early, defining interfaces between each subsystem, and pressure-testing the design of each subsystem.

You will also interface with potential customers and act as a technical liaison between them and the team.

This role is focused on high-level system design and definition, with limited time spent on detailed design. We’re looking for someone who’s a leader and a self-starter, and who can identify problems early, take a holistic view of the project, and plan for meeting timelines and specs. If you like seeing the whole picture more than owning one corner of it, and you're energized by finding the questions no one has thought to ask yet, this role is built for you.

What you'll own

- System architecture and interfaces:



Define and maintain the interface specifications (mechanical, electrical, and software) between the seven subsystems. Own the interconnect protocols, identify gaps in projects and ownership, and establish systems-level changes needed for success.
- High-level design oversight: Participate in each subsystem's architectural and design reviews as a context-rich outside perspective. You won't design the subsystem, but you will make sure its design is consistent with the system spec and integrates cleanly with everything around it.
- Requirements and specifications: Translate customer needs into concrete, verifiable system-level requirements. Produce and maintain the spec sheets from customer conversations and downstream engineering.
- Risk identification and mitigation: Surface integration risks before they become problems. Identify blind spots across the subsystem teams based on your read of what each team has and hasn't done before.

Requirements

- Bachelor's or higher in Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics or other relevant Engineering
- 7+ years of experience in systems engineering, integration, or architecture of complex hardware/software systems - ideally in semiconductor capital equipment, or in an adjacent field.
- Demonstrated ability to work across mechanical, electrical, and software domains. You don't need to be the deepest expert in any one, but you need to hold your own in a technical conversation with people who are.
- Experience defining and managing hardware and software interfaces between subsystems.
- Comfort with systems engineering practices: requirements development and traceability, interface control, risk registers, V-model or equivalent.

Preferred qualifications

- Direct experience with semiconductor process, metrology, or inspection tools.
- Experience taking a complex tool from prototype through customer demo or first-article delivery.
- Prior customer-facing technical role in a capital-equipment or systems-integrator context.
- Exposure to SEMI standards (S2, S8, E-series) or comparable regulatory frameworks.

📌 Senior System Engineer (Waterloo)
🏢 Icspi
📍 Waterloo