Director of Operations

iDEAL Semiconductor Devices Inc.; Bethlehem (Northampton County); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

iDEAL Semiconductor is seeking a seasoned Operations leader to own end-to-end silicon operations, from foundry management to supply chain strategy, to ensure reliable product supply and scalable manufacturing in a fabless environment.

Reporting to the COO, you will lead global operations teams, strengthen foundry/osat partnerships, drive cost and margin optimization, and partner with Engineering, Finance and Sales to accelerate tape-outs to high-volume production.

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.
• 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.
• Crisis management experience (shortages, yield excursions, capacity constraints).
• Global supply chain risk mitigation and cross-functional leadership.
• Startup up agility and resilience.

Responsibilities

• Manufacturing & Foundry Management: Develop and manage relationships with foundry partners, negotiate wafer pricing and capacity, drive ramp from NPI to high-volume production, oversee wafer starts and yield ramp.
• OSAT & Backend Operations: Select and manage OSAT partners, build a resilient multi-source supply chain strategy, negotiate supply agreements, mitigate geopolitical risks.
• Supply Chain & Planning: Lead Sales & Operations planning, forecast demand, manage wafer starts and test capacity, materials forecast and procurement, inventory strategy, risk mitigation and dual sourcing, ERP optimization.
• Strategic Leadership & Team Building: Build and lead global Operations team, align with Engineering, Sales, Finance, drive manufacturability trade-offs, present to executives, contingency planning.
• Cost & Margin Management: Own cost structure, identify cost-reduction initiatives, collaborate with Finance on gross margin targets.

Skills

Foundry management

OSAT management

Supply chain planning

Cost optimization

Leadership

Education

Engineering degree

MS/MBA desired

Tools

ERP systems

Forecasting tools

Job description

Location: Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem), Pennsylvania

Department: Manufacturing and Operations

At iDEAL Semiconductor, we’re redefining what silicon can do.

Our proprietary SuperQ® technology is breaking long-standing performance limits of traditional power MOSFETs—enabling faster switching, higher efficiency, and more compact system designs across applications like AI infrastructure, battery management, motor drives, and fast charging.

We’re a fast-moving, highly collaborative team of engineers and innovators focused on solving real-world power challenges.

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
• Oversee global distribution and fulfillment operations
• 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
• Strategic thinking with tactical execution strength
• Yield and cost optimization
• Capacity and forecast planning
• Cross-functional leadership
• Startup up agility and resilience

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Yield improvement rates
• Inventory turns
• Forecast accuracy

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