We are pleased to announce that QPLOX Engineering has joined Metheion as a Technical Recruiting partner.
Flexible engineering talent for high-tech projects
Companies do not always want to commit to permanent hires when their engineering requirements are temporary, project-dependent, or difficult to predict. A semiconductor manufacturer may need an additional process engineer to cover a temporary absence, an electronics company may require specialized expertise for a high-risk development project, or an R&D team may need extra capacity to meet an urgent deadline. Uncertain project funding, fluctuating workloads, and the limited duration of certain assignments can also make permanent recruitment difficult to justify, even when the required expertise is essential.
QPLOX Engineering offers a valid solution to those issues: experienced engineers who can join existing client teams for the duration of a project or to meet a specific technical requirement, without the client having to make a permanent employment commitment.
Founded in 2012 in Leuven, Belgium, QPLOX Engineering has grown into an engineering consultancy with a team of more than 30 engineers and offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Its consultants work directly within client engineering organizations, contributing to development projects that require specific technical capabilities. This ranges from individual specialists joining established R&D teams to engineers supporting demanding development and industrialization activities.
An external engineering for internal R&D challenges
QPLOX's consultancy model gives technology companies access to engineering capabilities that might otherwise take months to recruit or develop internally.
A client can bring in an engineer for a particular project, strengthen an existing development team, or address a technical bottleneck that requires experience not currently available in-house.
The assignments cover a particularly broad range of technologies:
Semiconductor development: Engineers contribute to IC development, semiconductor processing, advanced packaging, and device characterization.
Electronic systems: Specialists work on PCB design, analog and digital electronics, FPGA development, and embedded systems.
Automated testing: Engineers develop custom test benches, measurement architectures, and automated validation systems for electronic devices.
RF and wireless technologies: Projects involve RF engineering, microwave systems, mmWave technologies, and wireless communication.
Integrated photonics: Specialists contribute to photonic integrated circuits, optical characterization, and the development of silicon photonics.
Industrial technology: Assignments include equipment automation, cleanroom systems, IoT, and manufacturing-related software.
Some projects also involve collaboration between disciplines. For example, developing a semiconductor test platform may require expertise in electronics, FPGA development, instrumentation, and software within the same project.
This ability to bring different engineering specializations together is particularly relevant for companies working on complex technologies.
Metheion will support QPLOX Engineering with technical recruiting across
Semiconductor Process Engineers
Specialists in wafer processing, lithography, deposition, etching, metallization, and semiconductor fabrication.Semiconductor Test Engineers
Engineers experienced in IC testing, ATE, device characterization, electrical measurements, and semiconductor validation.Automated Test Equipment Engineers
Specialists in PXI systems, LabVIEW, TestStand, instrumentation, automated test benches, instrumentation control, and automated measurement software.Electronics Design Engineers
Engineers experienced in analog and digital circuit design, PCB development, signal integrity, and electronic hardware architecture.FPGA Engineers
Specialists in FPGA development, digital logic, VHDL, Verilog, hardware verification, and high-speed digital systems.RF Engineers
Engineers experienced in RF circuit design, microwave systems, antennas, mmWave technologies, and high-frequency measurements.Photonics Engineers
Specialists in silicon photonics, optical systems, photonic integrated circuits, and optical device characterization.Embedded Software Engineers
Engineers developing firmware, real-time applications, device drivers, and hardware interfaces.
Industrial Automation Engineers
Specialists in PLC, SCADA, industrial control systems, equipment integration, and manufacturing automation.Metrology Engineers
Engineers experienced in precision measurements, semiconductor inspection, dimensional characterization, and measurement system development.Materials Engineers
Specialists in semiconductor materials, thin-film processing, surface characterization, and advanced material development.Software Engineers
Developers working on physical AI, algorithms, equipment control, data acquisition, data pipelines, and frontend/backend development.
Finding the right engineering talent in an increasingly competitive semiconductor industry
Semiconductor engineering is one of the most challenging fields to recruit for. Developing and manufacturing advanced chips requires expertise across physics, materials science, electrical engineering, chemistry, software, automation, and precision instrumentation. Yet, finding professionals who combine experience across several of these disciplines is particularly difficult.
The problem is not simply a shortage of engineers. It is the limited availability of people with the specific hands-on experience required to solve complex semiconductor engineering problems. A process engineer familiar with thin-film deposition may lack experience with the specific materials or equipment a project requires. An electronics engineer may understand circuit design but lack exposure to semiconductor test architectures or wafer-level characterization.
At the same time, semiconductor manufacturers, equipment suppliers, research institutes, and technology companies compete for many of the same specialists. Experienced engineers are in demand across the industry, making it difficult to attract and retain people with niche technical backgrounds.
When critical engineering positions remain unfilled, the consequences extend well beyond recruitment. Process development can slow down, equipment commissioning and qualification can be delayed, and manufacturing teams may struggle to resolve issues affecting process stability and wafer yield. A missing specialist can become a bottleneck for an entire development or production program.
For an engineering consultancy such as QPLOX Engineering, this challenge has an additional dimension. Its ability to support client projects depends on having access to the right expertise when a new assignment arises. This requires continuously expanding its network of engineers across disciplines that range from semiconductor processing and metrology to photonics, electronics, FPGA development, and automated testing.
At Metheion, we specialize in sourcing and evaluating engineers for precisely these requirements. We look beyond job titles and conventional keyword matching to understand the materials, equipment, processes, and technical problems candidates have actually worked with. This helps distinguish professionals with genuinely relevant experience from those whose backgrounds appear similar on paper.
Through our partnership, we will help QPLOX Engineering strengthen its pool of specialized engineering consultants and find the expertise needed for demanding semiconductor, electronics, photonics, and advanced technology projects.
