Manager​/Director of Operations

Description

Skorpios Technologies, Inc. are innovators in heterogeneous integration of silicon photonic technology and semiconductor development. The company is rapidly expanding the technical organization and seeking Fab Operations Manager or Director depending on experience. These roles are critical in developing the next generation of disruptive III-V and Silicon Photonics integrated products. This role partners with two Fab Operations Managers.

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Fab Operations Manager/Director to oversee day-to-day manufacturing execution across our integrated production and technology development wafer fabs.

This critical operational leadership role requires balancing two competing priorities: maximizing tool utilization and wafer throughput for mature, revenue-generating high-volume manufacturing (HVM), while maintaining agility, engineering cycle time, and precise tool allocation for advanced technology development lots. You will lead cross-functional shift teams, establish real-time dispatch and WIP-management protocols, and cultivate a culture of safety, continuous improvement, and cross-functional operational discipline.

• Dual-Line Flow Optimization: Drive overall line flow to balance standard volume production commitments with rapid turn time (Q-time/cycle time) requirements for R&D, pilot runs, and engineering lots.
• WIP Management & Bottleneck Mitigation: Implement dynamic WIP profiling and dispatching heuristics (e.g., Critical Ratio, FIFO with dynamic R&D priority tiers) using MES and RTD (Real-Time Dispatching) systems to prevent line starvation or queue buildup at primary lithography, etch, and CMP bottlenecks.
• Queue-Time & Shelf-Life Control: Enforce rigid protocols for queue-time-sensitive process loops (e.g., pre-clean to gate oxidation, silicide to dielectric deposition) to prevent wafer scrap and rework.
• OEE & Tool Utilization: Partner with Equipment Engineering to maximize Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Optimize recipe changeover protocols, batch sizing for furnace operations, and track/stepper matching to reduce non-productive tool idling.

• Short-to Mid-Range Capacity Balancing: Collaborate with Supply Chain and Industrial Engineering (IE) to align weekly dynamic wafer starts with fab bottleneck capacities and planned preventative maintenance (PM) schedules.
• R&D vs. Production Tool Allocation: Establish clear, rule-based reservation windows and lot-release cadences for developmental process modules to eliminate tool-time contention between process integration engineers and production line leads.
• Scrap Reduction & Yield Integration: Co-lead root-cause investigations with Defect Reduction and Yield Enhancement teams for misprocessing events, line-yield excursions, and tool aborts, ensuring fast recovery and disposition of non-conforming WIP.

• Multi-Shift Team Development: Work with all shift Fab Operations Managers to direct, coach, and support the fab team across a 24/7/365 operating schedule.
• Skills Matrix & Cross-Training: Implement and maintain a comprehensive technician certification and cross-training matrix across functional modules (Photolithography, Thin Films, Etch, Diffusion/Implant, Wet Clean, and CMP) to ensure workforce agility during shift absences or production surges.
• Safety & Fab Discipline: Champion cleanroom safety standards, hazardous material handling compliance, and strict cleanroom behavioral protocol to maintain contamination-free operations and an incident-free workplace.
• Performance Management: Set clear KPIs for shift output, moves per tool, line linearity, and compliance, conducting regular performance evaluations and technical career progression planning.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Industrial Engineering, Physics, or equivalent operational experience;
  Master’s/MBA preferred.
• Experience:
  • 7+ years of semiconductor wafer fab manufacturing experience, with at least 3+ years in a supervisory or management role within 200mm or 300mm front-end clean rooms.
  • Direct operational experience working in a dual-purpose environment (handling both pilot-line/R&D and high-volume commercial production) is strongly preferred.
• Technical Systems: Proficiency with…