Introduction to the job

As an SDA Lead Engineer in San Jose, you provide technical leadership within the System Domain Architecture (SDA) team by developing system-level architectural concepts, performing technical analyses, driving cross-domain alignment, and enabling the successful realization of architecture across products and programs.

You work closely with System Domain Architects, System Engineering, MDU Architects, technical leads, and development teams to translate product requirements, customer needs, and business objectives into robust architectural solutions. You combine deep technical expertise with strong systems thinking to support architectural decision making, technical trade-off analysis, interface management, and integration planning.

You help ensure architectural consistency across multiple disciplines and subsystems by driving technical studies, architecture reviews, risk assessments, and roadmap alignment. You influence technical direction through expertise, collaboration, and engineering leadership, while supporting architectural governance and technical excellence throughout the product lifecycle.

You contribute to the development of system architectures for one or more products and support multiple MDUs through technical leadership, architecture execution, and cross-functional alignment.

Role and responsibilities

In this role, you are responsible for supporting the development and realization of system domain architectures by ensuring architectural consistency, technical coherence, integration readiness, and effective technical decision making across products and development teams.

Architecture Development & Technical Leadership

• Develop and maintain system domain architectural views, solution concepts, and technical roadmaps.
• Translate product, customer, and business needs into architectural analyses, system concepts, and technical recommendations.
• Support System Domain Architects in defining and maintaining system architecture baselines.
• Drive technical decomposition and allocation of requirements across system and subsystem boundaries.
• Ensure architectural consistency across subsystems, modules, and engineering disciplines.
• Review technical solutions and architectural implementations for compliance with architectural intent.

Integration & Technical Alignment

• Align architectural requirements with System Engineering, MDU Architects, technical leads, and delivery teams.
• Facilitate interface definition, integration strategy, and system-level alignment across multiple domains.
• Support qualification readiness and technical integration planning.
• Drive architecture-related technical reviews, assessments, and decision preparation.
• Support architecture governance activities and design review processes.

Analysis, Risk Management & Continuous Improvement

• Identify required architecture studies, simulations, technical investigations, and trade-off evaluations.
• Drive root-cause analysis and resolution of complex technical challenges.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate architectural risks, system integration risks, and technical debt.
• Escalate significant technical risks, architectural conflicts, and unresolved trade-offs to the System Domain Architect.
• Contribute to architectural methods, standards, design rules, and engineering best practices.

People & Community Development

• Coach engineers and technical leads on systems thinking, architecture methods, and technical decision making.
• Contribute to Architect Development Programs, Technical Competences, and Guild communities.
• Foster technical excellence, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across teams and sectors.
• Support development of future architects and senior technical leaders.

Education and experience

• BS in Engineering or relevant technical field.
• MSc or PhD preferred in a relevant technical field.
• Extensive experience (typically 10+ years) in complex multidisciplinary system development.
• Experience working across multiple subsystems, engineering disciplines, or business lines.
• Proven experience leading technical initiatives across teams and organizational boundaries.
• Strong experience in systems engineering, system architecture, integration, or technical leadership roles.
• Demonstrated ability to solve ambiguous technical problems and drive alignment among diverse stakeholders.
• Recognized technical expert capable of influencing technical direction and decision making without direct authority.
• Experience balancing customer value, business objectives, technology roadmaps, and engineering excellence.

Skills

Technical & Functional Skills

System Architecture Development & Realization

Develops architectural concepts, system-level analyses, and solution alternatives that support the realization of robust, scalable, and maintainable multidisciplinary systems while ensuring alignment with business objectives, customer needs, and system requirements.

Requirements, Interfaces & Integration Management

Defines, analyzes, and aligns requirements, interfaces, and boundary conditions across multiple subsystems and engineering domains to ensure successful system integration and qualification readiness.

Technical Decision Support & Trade-off Analysis

Leads technical studies, simulations, and trade-off analyses that support architecture decisions by balancing performance, risk, cost, schedule, maintainability, and future roadmap considerations.

System Risk Management & Technical Problem Solving

Proactively identifies architectural risks, integration challenges, and technical debt while driving structured problem solving, root-cause investigations, and mitigation strategies throughout the product lifecycle.

Roadmaps, Architecture Governance & Engineering Excellence

Supports development of technology roadmaps, architecture governance processes, design rules, and architectural standards while promoting continuous improvement and engineering excellence across the organization.

Behavioral & Leadership Skills

Drives Results

Translates complex technical challenges into clear priorities, actionable work plans, and measurable outcomes while maintaining focus on delivering high-quality technical solutions.

Demonstrates Self-Awareness

Seeks feedback, continuously learns, and adapts leadership and communication approaches to maximize effectiveness and technical impact.

Values Differences

Actively integrates diverse technical perspectives and encourages healthy technical debate to strengthen decision quality and innovation.

Builds Effective Teams

Develops technical talent through coaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing while fostering collaboration across organizational boundaries.

Drives Vision and Purpose

Helps connect architecture objectives, technology strategy, and business goals through clear communication, technical leadership, and stakeholder alignment.

The current base annual salary range for this role is currently:

Pay scales are determined by role, level, location and alignment with market data. Individual pay is determined through interviews and an assessment of several factors that that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and pay relative to other team members.

The Company offers employees and their families, medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are able to participate in the Company’s 401k plan. Employees will also receive eight (8) hours of vacation leave every month and (13) paid holidays throughout the calendar year. For more information, please contact the Recruiter or click on this link Compensation & Benefits in the US.

All new ASML jobs have a minimum application deadline of 10 days.

Inclusion and diversity

ASML is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that inclusion and diversity is a driving force in the success of our company.

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Request an Accommodation

ASML provides reasonable accommodations to applicants for ASML employment and ASML employees with disabilities.  An accommodation is a change in work rules, facilities, or conditions which enable an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform the essential functions of a job, and/or enjoy equal access to the benefits and privileges of employment. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete an application, participate in an interview, or otherwise participate in the employee pre-selection process, please send an email to [email protected] to initiate the company’s reasonable accommodation process.

Please note: This email address is solely intended to provide a method for applicants to initiate ASML’s process to request accommodation(s). Any recruitment questions should be directed to the designated Talent Acquisition member for the position.