Director Semiconductor Application Engineering

Sibelco Nordic Ab; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Sibelco in Charlotte seeks a Director Semiconductor Application Engineering to build our HPQ semiconductor capability and transform our materials into strategic technology partnerships.

You will lead customer engagements with fabs and equipment makers, map process needs to HPQ properties, and drive cross-functional product development with T&I and operations. The role requires 10–15 years in semiconductor materials and a Master’s degree (PhD preferred), with leadership and roadmap influence.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required; PhD preferred in related field.
• 10–15 years in semiconductor equipment, devices, or high-purity materials.
• Experience translating process requirements into material specifications.
• Credibility engaging technical leaders in OEMs and fabs.

Responsibilities

• Build semiconductor application capability and influence HPQ roadmaps.
• Lead application and product development with cross-functional teams.
• Define testing protocols and qualification evidence packages.
• Coach sales and operations teams in semiconductor applications.

Skills

Semiconductor processes

Qualification planning

Technical problem solving

Customer engagement

Product development

Education

Master's degree

PhD preferred

Job description

Director Semiconductor Application Engineering Location:

Charlotte Office

At Sibelco, we advance life through materials. For over 150 years, we've been a trusted leader in sourcing, transforming, and distributing specialty industrial minerals. Our work powers progress across industries as diverse as glass, ceramics, construction, coatings, polymers, and water purification. Beyond our materials, we're proud of our commitment to sustainability, innovation, and empowering people from all walks of life to thrive and make a meaningful impact.

Are We the Perfect Match?

At Sibelco, we believe building a successful career is a two-way journey. We're looking for individuals who share our values and vision, just as much as you're seeking a company that aligns with your aspirations. Together, we can shape the future.

Job Description:

Role purpose

Build Sibelco's application-led semiconductor capability and help transform HPQ from a raw-material offering into a strategic technology partnership. The role connects customer process requirements with product engineering, qualification, T&I and manufacturing, enabling Sibelco to influence customer roadmaps, accelerate qualification, strengthen value-in-use arguments and co-develop next-generation HPQ solutions.

Key accountabilities

Customer technology engagement

• Act as a senior technical counterpart to semiconductor fabs, wafer and crucible producers, fused-quartz fabricators and semiconductor equipment OEMs.
• Engage customer process engineering, R&D, quality and technology-roadmap teams at application level rather than limiting discussions to material specifications.
• Lead technically credible conversations across crucibles, fused-quartz consumables, clean thermal applications, etch and other targeted semiconductor applications.
• Build structured engagement plans for strategic ecosystem participants, including equipment makers, fabricators, research institutes and end users.

Application and product development

• Map customer process conditions, failure modes and performance requirements to relevant HPQ material properties.
• Translate application requirements into product targets covering impurity chemistry, hydroxyl content, particle-size distribution, fusion behaviour, bubble formation, devitrification, viscosity and component lifetime.
• Co-lead application-specific product development and validation with T&I, operations, external laboratories and customers.
• Develop value-in-use dossiers that link HPQ characteristics to yield, component life, particles, downtime, process stability and qualification risk.

Qualification and technical problem solving

• Provide application-level input to qualification strategy while Technical Sales & Customer Qualification retains milestone and quality-interface ownership.
• Support root-cause analysis of qualification failures and customer performance issues, converting findings into product, process or specification improvement actions.
• Define testing protocols, acceptance criteria and evidence packages for application validation.
• Capture and reuse qualification learning across customers, applications and regions.

Technology roadmap and competitive intelligence

• Monitor semiconductor process evolution, advanced logic, memory, HBM, advanced packaging and other trends that may change quartz performance requirements.
• Assess application-level threats and opportunities from synthetic silica, silicon carbide, ceramics and other alternative materials.
• Identify defend, grow, explore and no-go application zones based on technical fit, qualification barriers and value creation.
• Provide technical insight to long-range HPQ product and capacity roadmaps.

Knowledge and capability building

• Create and maintain a central application knowledge repository combining analytical, modelling, laboratory, qualification and customer information.
• Publish internal application guides, customer-facing technical papers and training materials.
• Coach Strategic Account Sales, Technical Sales, T&I and operations teams in semiconductor applications and customer process requirements.
• Help recruit and develop additional application engineers as customer demand and the co-development pipeline scale.

Experience and qualifications

Education

• Master's degree required; PhD preferred in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Semiconductor Engineering, Physics, Ceramics, Glass Science or a related discipline.

Professional experience

• Typically 10 to 15 years of relevant experience in semiconductor equipment, device manufacturing, process integration, semiconductor materials, fused quartz or high-purity materials.
• Demonstrated experience translating process or device requirements into material or component specifications.
• Experience with customer qualification, change control, failure analysis and cross-functional technical problem solving.
• Credibility engaging technical leaders within equipment OEMs, fabs, wafer producers, crucible manufacturers