R&D Cleanroom & Microfabrication Leader

Silicon Austria Labs (SAL); Villach; On-site; EUR 82,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Vital4SAL wellness program

Meal allowance €4/day

Job summary

Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) seeks a Head of Cleanroom Operations & Engineering to lead a growing team and shape SAL’s semiconductor R&D cleanroom. You will drive operational excellence, engineering leadership and people development for cutting-edge research and technology transfer.

You will manage a ~40-person organization, ensure reliable cleanroom operation, and align budgets and equipment plans with research programs. Excellent English communication is essential; German is a plus.

Qualifications

• M.S. or PhD in semiconductor engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, physics or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in technical leadership in semiconductor/MEMS or cleanroom environments.
• Proven leadership across a multidisciplinary tech organization with multiple management levels.
• Experience at the interface of research, process development and manufacturing.
• Strong practical understanding of semiconductor fabrication and cleanroom operations.
• Experience transferring R&D flows toward pilot production or early productization.
• Experience with introducing and ramping up new equipment, processes and infrastructure in a cleanroom environment.
• Knowledge of quality management, process control, yield improvement and structured problem solving.
• Strong ability to balance research flexibility with operational discipline and reproducibility.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English; German is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a growing cleanroom operations and engineering organization of about 40 employees.
• Ensure reliable operation of SAL's semiconductor R&D cleanroom and plan for future growth.
• Manage the cleanroom cost center, budgets and investment priorities.
• Establish procedures, standards and operating practices for safe, flexible and efficient research execution.
• Develop the organization through recruitment, delegation, coaching and succession planning.
• Define and implement operating principles balancing research flexibility with discipline and reproducibility.
• Support ramp-up and development of cleanroom infrastructure, tools, processes and supporting infrastructure.
• Plan integration of new tools and capabilities into the cleanroom to meet research program needs.
• Take over EHS responsibilities, particularly in chemistry.
• Enable transition of research-developed processes toward robust, reproducible, scalable flows and early productization.
• Work with SAL research units to translate technologies into manufacturable processes and demonstrate readiness.
• Support pilot prototyping activities while maintaining R&D flexibility.
• Establish quality and process-control practices to support reproducibility and yield improvement.
• Regularly align priorities and resources with SAL management and research teams.

Skills

People leadership

Technical leadership

Process development

Interdisciplinary collaboration

English proficiency

German language

Education

M.S. or PhD in semiconductor engineering or related field

Job description

Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) seeks a Head of Cleanroom Operations & Engineering to lead a growing team and shape SAL’s semiconductor R&D cleanroom. You will drive operational excellence, engineering leadership and people development for cutting-edge research and technology transfer.

You will manage a ~40-person organization, ensure reliable cleanroom operation, and align budgets and equipment plans with research programs. Excellent English communication is essential; German is a plus.