Director of Indium Phosphide; InP Wafer Fab Operations

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all wafer fabrication activities, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing operations.
• Lead the startup, commissioning, qualification, and operational readiness of a new Indium Phosphide wafer fabrication facility.
• Develop and execute the manufacturing roadmap to support business growth, customer commitments, and capacity expansion.
• Establish operational metrics, production targets, and performance objectives aligned with corporate goals.
• Lead production ramp activities from development through high-volume manufacturing.
• Drive improvements in cycle time, throughput, equipment utilization, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), yield, and cost of ownership.
• Implement Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Statistical Process Control (SPC), and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Monitor key manufacturing KPIs and implement corrective actions to ensure operational excellence.
• Foster a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with ISO standards, customer requirements, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) activities.
• Maintain world-class product quality and manufacturing consistency.
• Partner with Supply Chain to ensure material availability and production continuity.
• Collaborate with Facilities to maintain reliable manufacturing infrastructure and utilities.
• Work closely with Product Management, Sales, and Customer Quality to meet customer delivery expectations.
• Provide regular operational updates to executive leadership regarding production performance, risks, and strategic initiatives.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Master's degree in engineering preferred, Business Administration (MBA), or related discipline.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience in semiconductor wafer fabrication or advanced manufacturing.
• Minimum of 8 years leading manufacturing operations, fab management, or operations engineering organizations.
• Demonstrated experience leading semiconductor fab startup, production ramp, or significant capacity expansion initiatives.
• Experience with compound semiconductor manufacturing, preferably Indium Phosphide (InP), Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Silicon Photonics, or III-V semiconductor technologies.
• Proven experience managing cross-functional organizations and large manufacturing teams.

Skills

Technical Competencies

• Deep understanding of semiconductor wafer fabrication processes, equipment, and manufacturing systems.
• Knowledge of lithography, etch, deposition, diffusion, implant, CMP, metrology, wafer testing, and process integration.
• Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), ERP systems, and factory automation.
• Strong knowledge of statistical process control (SPC), Design of Experiments (DOE), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and yield improvement methodologies.
• Leadership Skills
• Proven ability to lead through organizational growth, change, and transformation.
• Exceptional strategic planning and execution capabilities.
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Communication & Collaboration
• Excellent coaching, mentoring, and talent development abilities.
• Ability to influence across all organizational levels, including executive leadership.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical and operational information to executive leadership.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective cross-functional partnerships.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Working Conditions

• This role will be based on-site in Fremont, CA.
• Regular use of a computer and other office equipment is necessary.

Physical Requirements

• Occasional travel to other sites may be necessary.
• Sitting for extended periods while working on a computer or in meetings.
• Use of hands and fingers for typing, writing, and handling documents.
• Occasiona…