Application Engineering Director

Diamond Foundry; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Life and disability insurance

Paid time off

Employee discounts to VRAI

Job summary

Diamond Foundry Inc. seeks an experienced Director of Application Engineering to lead bonding of single-crystal diamond to semiconductor devices in advanced packaging and thermal management applications.

You will own the bonding technology strategy, guide prototyping through qualification to mass production, and build a team that delivers robust solutions for AI and chip customers. Strong leadership and hands-on lab skills required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor or higher in a materials/engineering field; advanced degrees preferred.
• 10+ years in semiconductor packaging or thermal management; 3+ yrs leading teams.
• Hands-on bonding tech expertise: surface prep, metallization, metrology, reliability.
• Deep knowledge of 2.5D/3D packaging and related thermal challenges.
• Proven track record moving from R&D to mass production with tech transfer.
• Excellent communication and executive presence; ability to convey tech to leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the application engineering function for bonding single-crystal diamond to devices.
• Own bonding strategy across pressure, thermocompression, plasma-activated methods and more.
• Direct process development, DOE-based optimization, characterization and reliability testing.
• Lead customer programs from prototyping through qualification and scale-up.
• Collaborate on roadmaps and resourcing with executives, R&D, product, and BD; report risks and results.
• Present technical results and strategy to customers, executives, and partners.

Skills

Bonding technologies

Advanced packaging

Team leadership

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field

Master’s or PhD preferred

Tools

Wafer/die bonding processes

Metallization

DOE optimization

Metrology & reliability testing

Job description

Diamond Foundry Inc. is solving the thermal limitation at the foundation of today's most exciting tech industries -- AI & cloud compute, electric-car power electronics, and 5G/6G wireless. We have managed to produce the world's first single-crystal diamond wafers and are now on a mission to put a diamondbehind every chip. We are the rare unicorn that has grown fast and profitably. We received $515m in funding and are executing a multi-$B expansion plan for one of the greenest forms of tech manufacturing: converting greenhouse gas into diamond wafers using zero-emission energy.

Diamond Foundry is seeking an experienced Director of Application Engineering to lead how our single-crystal diamond is integrated into semiconductor devices, with a focus on advanced bonding and packaging. As the world's leading producer of lab-grown diamond, we are growing our application engineering team to support semiconductor and AI chip customers who need better thermal performance. This role owns the technical bonding strategy and turns it into customer programs, roadmaps, and paths to production.

The ideal candidate is a recognized bonding and advanced packaging expert who can still go hands-on in the lab and can also present technical strategy, risks, and tradeoffs to executive leadership and customers. You can move a process from early prototype through qualification to high-volume manufacturing, and you can build a team that does the same.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the application engineering function, setting the technical direction for bonding single-crystal diamond to customer devices in advanced packaging and thermal management applications.
• Own the bonding technology strategy, including how we evaluate, select, and optimize pressure and pressureless sintering, thermocompression, surface/plasma-activated, hybrid, and emerging bonding methods across different device designs and material stacks.
• Direct process development and validation, including surface preparation, metallization, DOE-based optimization, characterization, failure analysis, and reliability testing.
• Serve as the senior technical lead on customer programs, from prototyping through qualification, technology transfer, and scale-up to mass production.
• Partner with executive leadership, R&D, product, and business development on product roadmaps, resourcing, and new application opportunities, with clear reporting on schedules, technical risks, and results.
• Present technical results and strategy to customers, executives, and industry partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field; Master’s or PhD preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in semiconductor packaging, process engineering, or thermal management, including 3+ years leading engineering teams or programs.
• Deep, hands-on expertise in wafer/die bonding technologies and the related processes: surface preparation, thin-film metallization, metrology, failure analysis, and reliability testing.
• Strong understanding of advanced packaging architectures (2.5D/3D IC, CoWoS, flip-chip, fan-out) and their thermal management challenges.
• Proven record of taking bonding or packaging processes from R&D through qualification and into high-volume manufacturing, including technology transfer to customers or OSATs.
• Excellent communication and executive presence; able to translate complex technical issues into clear business decisions for management and customers.
• Experience with high-thermal-conductivity materials (diamond, SiC, or similar) is highly desirable.

$180,000 - $270,000 a year

The position is eligible for company shares. Actual compensation may be higher or lower in the range based on various factors, including, but not limited to a candidate's job duties, experience, and location. We will also consider higher-level candidates and salary will be adjusted accordingly.

Diamond Foundry believes in supporting our employees from the workplace to their personal and home life. We provide eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health insurance, flexible spending accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and a number of programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work. Perks include employee discounts to VRAI. Our benefits begin as early as your first day of employment. Medical and vision coverage are retroactive to your start date, while dental and voluntary benefits take effect once you’ve completed your enrollment.

Diamond Foundry is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law.

Diamond Foundry Inc. is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Our commitment extends to ensuring that our manufacturing and engineering departments adhere to the highest standards of legal and regulatory compliance. Additionally, these departments may have specific physical requirements to ensure the safety and efficiency of our operations. We prioritize the well-being of our employees and strive to create a work environment that promotes both legal compliance and the optimal functioning of our manufacturing and engineering processes.

Manufacturing and Engineering Departments Physical Requirements:

-Use appropriate PPE and follow all safety policies, practices, and procedures.

-This position will often: Sit, stand for long periods, walk, grasp, reach with hands and arms, lift below and above shoulders, bend, twist at the waist, climb, balance, stoop, squat, kneel, crawl, talk, hear, see, use fine finger manipulation, and complete repetitive motions.

-Some tasks may require the use of ladders or stairs

-Some tasks may require driving or the use of foot controls

-Lift/carry and push/pull up to 50 pound

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment.

Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.