Director, Product Industrialisation and Low Volume Production Delivery (PID)

Imec; Heverlee; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

IMEC in Leuven, Belgium, seeks a Director for Product Industrialisation and Low Volume Production Delivery (PID) to own end-to-end prototyping industrialisation and low-volume wafer processing. You will set strategy, drive performance, and build scalable operating models for pilot lines and specialty wafer production.

You will lead a highly technical manufacturing environment focused on yield, cycle time, and quality, balancing innovation with operational discipline and customer-driven

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in a relevant technical discipline.
• 15+ years of semiconductor wafer fabrication experience.
• 10+ years of leadership experience in engineering or manufacturing.
• Demonstrated success in semiconductor technology industrialisation.
• Experience leading pilot manufacturing or engineering production.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor process integration.
• Experience supporting customer qualification programs.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• Technically credible and comfortable leading expert engineering teams.
• Pragmatic, data-driven, and able to operate at strategic and hands-on levels.
• Resilient and adaptable in fast-changing, development-led environments.
• Passionate about process excellence, quality, and innovation.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the low-volume wafer processing strategy aligned with business and technology roadmaps.
• Own performance across yield, quality, cycle time, cost, and delivery.
• Develop scalable operating models for pilot lines, prototyping, and specialty wafer production.
• Drive continuous improvement in yield, tool utilisation, and process capability in low-volume environments.
• Lead NPI, process transfer, and technology introduction from R&D into low-volume manufacturing.
• Champion robust SPC, FMEA, change control, and root-cause analysis disciplines.
• Foster a culture of zero defects, contamination control, and proactive risk management.
• Lead and develop engineering talent; build a high-performance culture of technical excellence.
• Work closely with Process Engineering, Device Engineering, Business Development Managers and Project Managers.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

People management

Data-driven decision making

Education

Master's or PhD in Electrical/Semiconductor/Materials/Chemical Physics or related technical discipline

Job description

Director, Product Industrialisation and Low Volume Production Delivery (PID)

The Product Industrialisation and Low Volume Production Delivery (PID) department specialises in industrialisation and low-volume production of high-complexity silicon wafer fabrication processes here at IMEC headquarters in Leuven and with our strategic foundry partners.

We support R&D, pilot lines, and specialised customer programmes requiring exceptional process control, flexibility, and technical depth.

Our operations sit at the forefront of innovation, bridging development and scalable production.

As Director of PID, you will have end-to-end responsibility for prototyping industrialisation and low-volume wafer processing operations, including strategy, performance, and capability development.

You will lead a highly technical manufacturing environment where process integrity, yield, and cycle time are critical, while maintaining the agility required for development-driven and customer-specific programmes.

This role requires deep semiconductor manufacturing understanding, strong leadership, and the ability to balance innovation with operational discipline.

What you will do

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Define and execute the low-volume wafer processing strategy aligned with business and technology roadmaps.
• Own performance across yield, quality, cycle time, cost, and delivery.
• Develop scalable operating models for pilot lines, prototyping, and specialty wafer production.

Wafer Processing & Manufacturing Excellence

• Drive continuous improvement in yield, tool utilisation, and process capability in low-volume environments.
• Lead NPI, process transfer, and technology introduction from R&D into low-volume manufacturing.

Quality

• Champion robust SPC, FMEA, change control, and root-cause analysis disciplines.
• Foster a culture of zero defects, contamination control, and proactive risk management.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and develop engineering talent.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on technical excellence, accountability, and collaboration.
• Work closely with Process Engineering, Device Engineering, Business Development Managers and Project Managers.

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process; not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth.

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits.

Who you are

• You have a master's or a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Semiconductor Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Microelectronics, or a related technical discipline
• You have 15+ years of semiconductor wafer fabrication experience.
• 10+ years of leadership experience in engineering or manufacturing organizations.
• Demonstrated success in semiconductor technology industrialisation.
• Experience leading pilot manufacturing or engineering production.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor process integration.
• Experience supporting customer qualification programs.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering organizations
• Technically credible and comfortable leading expert engineering teams.
• Pragmatic, data-driven, and able to operate at both strategic and hands‑on levels.
• Resilient and adaptable in fast‑changing, development‑led environments.
• Passionate about process excellence, quality, and innovation.