Ignite Human Capital

VICE PRESIDENT, FABRICATION ENGINEERING

San Diego / Riverside, CA

Salary: $190,000 - $260,000 DOE

THE OPPORTUNITY
Our client is a fast-scaling semiconductor manufacturer working at the leading edge of silicon photonics and advanced optical device integration. As the company moves from development-stage production into stable, profitable high-volume manufacturing (HVM), it is searching for a Vice President of Fabrication Engineering to own both the technical vision and the day-to-day execution of its wafer fab.

This is a top-tier executive seat with full accountability for every engineering discipline on the floor, process, process integration, equipment and maintenance, and yield enhancement. You will translate the product roadmap into fab capability, steward significant capital and operating budgets, drive technology transfers out of R&D, and build an engineering culture grounded in data, discipline, and continuous improvement.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

• Technical Strategy & Roadmap: Set and execute the long-range engineering roadmap for the fab, keeping technical capability tightly aligned with product plans, commercial commitments, and company growth targets.
• Operational Performance: Carry ultimate accountability for the fab's core metrics — baseline wafer yield, cycle time, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and cost per wafer — and hold the organization to them.
• A Unified Engineering Org: Bring process, integration, equipment, and yield teams under one direction, breaking down silos to speed new product introductions (NPI) and ensure clean, repeatable technology transfers.
• Capital & Capacity Planning: Lead the fab's CapEx strategy — multi-million-dollar tool buys, facility and cleanroom expansion, floor-space optimization, and forward capacity planning to meet demand.
• Supplier & Partner Strategy: Own executive-level relationships and negotiations with equipment OEMs, chemical and materials suppliers, and external foundry partners.
• Quality & Continuity: Stand up and enforce robust quality systems (including automotive- or aerospace-grade standards where relevant) and lead the fab's response to technical excursions and supply risks to protect 24/7 continuity.
• Cost & Budget Discipline: Build and manage the annual operating budget for fab engineering, finding structural cost-reduction opportunities that never come at the expense of yield or quality.
• Leadership & Talent: Recruit, mentor, and scale a world-class engineering leadership bench; drive succession planning, workforce development, and a culture centered on safety and accountability.

WHO YOU'LL LEAD

• Provide executive direction to a senior team, including the Directors of Process Engineering, Process Integration, and Equipment Engineering.
• Own organizational design, headcount planning, and talent allocation across the full fab engineering ecosystem.
• Set top-down goals, build performance-tracking frameworks, and coach department heads toward them.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Executive Presence: You can distill dense technical data into clear strategic direction for the board, CEO, customers, and investors.
• HVM Fab Mastery: Proven command of high-volume semiconductor manufacturing, with real depth in silicon photonics, MEMS, or advanced CMOS nodes.
• Business Acumen: Strong hand with large budgets, capital-equipment ROI, and cost-of-goods (COGS) reduction.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: You build alignment and navigate competing priorities across Operations, R&D, Finance, Supply Chain, and Commercial.
• Change Leadership: A track record of steering large technical organizations through rapid scaling and structural change.

REQUIREMENTS

• Education: Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field.
• Industry Experience: 15+ years of progressive semiconductor manufacturing experience, with a working command of both front-end (FEOL) and back-end (BEOL) processing.
• Leadership Experience: 7+ years in a senior director or executive role (e.g., Director of Fab Operations, Director of Integration or Process, or VP) leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams in a 24/7 manufacturing setting.
• Track Record: Demonstrated success scaling a fab from low-volume R&D or prototyping into stable, profitable high-volume manufacturing.

NICE TO HAVE

• PhD in a relevant engineering field with published work in semiconductor or photonics technology.
• Hands-on experience with silicon photonics integration or advanced optical communication device manufacturing.
• Certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma executive leadership, or advanced project management (PMP).

WORK ENVIRONMENT & TRAVEL

• Time is split across an executive office, boardrooms, and the cleanroom floor.
• Periodic fab walkthroughs require full cleanroom PPE (bunny suit).
• Up to 25% travel for vendor evaluations, customer executive reviews, and industry conferences.

ELIGIBILITY
This role is based at a facility governed by U.S. export-control (ITAR) requirements. All applicants must qualify as a "U.S. person" under ITAR — a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident (green-card holder), asylee, or refugee.