The Role
The successful candidate will be responsible for leading end-to-end supply chain, manufacturing partnerships, quality and operational strategy. Oversee end-to-end silicon operations including foundry management, OSAT coordination, supply chain, demand planning, quality, logistics and customer fulfillment. Ensure reliable product supply, cost efficiency, quality excellence and operational scalability while partnering closely with engineering finance and sales teams. Ideal candidate has deep experience in fabless semiconductor environments, strong foundry relationships and has successfully taken products from tape-out to high-volume production.
This position reports to the COO.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manufacturing & Foundry Management
- Develop and manage relationships with foundry partners
- Negotiate wafer pricing, capacity allocation, long-term supply agreements and yield improvement initiatives
- Drive production ramp from NPI to high-volume production
- Oversee wafer starts, capacity planning, yield ramp, cost optimization and multi-source strategies
- OSAT & Backend Operations
- Select and manage OSAT partners
- Build a resilient multi-source supply chain strategy
- Implement and negotiate supply agreements
- Mitigate geopolitical exposure and supply chain risks
- Supply Chain & Planning
- Lead Sales & Operations planning
- Forecast demand and manage wafer starts, assembly and test capacity
- Materials forecast and procurement (substrates, wafers, etc.)
- Manage inventory strategy (target launch inventory, buffer stock, die bank strategy)
- Risk mitigation and dual sourcing
- Optimize ERP system for accuracy and flexibility as volumes and new products ramp
- Logistics & Fulfillment
- Oversee global distribution and fulfillment operations
- Ensure on-time delivery (OTD) & SLA (Service Level Agreement) adherence
- Manage 3PL partners and international trade compliance
- Cost & Margin Management
- Own product cost structure (wafer, test and packaging cost)
- Identify cost reduction initiatives/roadmaps across product lifecycle
- Collaborate with Finance, manage gross margin targets through supply optimization
- Strategic Leadership & Team Building
- Build and lead global Operations team (supply chain, manufacturing, logistics)
- Build cross-functional alignment with Engineering, Sales and Finance
- Partner with Engineering on DFM, DFT and manufacturability trade offs
- Present operational performance to executive leadership and board
- Develop contingency planning for geopolitical risk, material shortages and capacity constraints
- Lead crisis response during supply disruptions
- Create a culture of accountability and operational excellence
Required Qualifications:
- S degree in Engineering or Manufacturing Systems Management
- MS or MBA desired
- 15+ years in semiconductor manufacturing or operations
- 5 to 10 years in senior leadership roles
- Direct and deep experience managing foundry and OSAT ecosystems
- Proven experience scaling from NPI to volume production
- Strong understanding of semiconductor cost structures
- Experience negotiating long-term supply agreements
- Demonstrated crisis management experience (shortages, yield excursions, capacity constraints)
- Background in both startup and large semiconductor environments
- Experience in global supply chain risk mitigation
Key Competencies:
- Strategic thinking with tactical execution strength
- Data-driven decision-making
- Negotiation expertise
- Yield and cost optimization
- Capacity and forecast planning
- Cross-functional leadership
- Startup up agility and resilience
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
- On-time delivery (OTD)
- Gross margin performance
- Yield improvement rates
- Inventory turns
- Cost per wafer/cost per unit
- Forecast accuracy
- Supplier performance metrics
- Customer quality metrics (PPM, RMA, etc.)
Why Join iDEAL
- Work on next-generation silicon technology redefining performance limits
- Direct impact on products used in high-growth markets
- Collaborative, low-ego culture with high technical depth
- Opportunity to grow with a scaling semiconductor company
- Exposure to global customers and cutting-edge applications
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Equity participation
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k), PTO