Equipment Engineering Manager, Wet Etch/CMP

Tower Semiconductor; Newport Beach (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Tower Semiconductor in Newport Beach, CA, seeks an experienced Equipment Engineering leader for the Wet Etch area. You will manage Equipment Engineers and Technicians across 24x7 shifts, drive maintenance, start-up of new tools, and ongoing performance improvements to support production.

Key qualifications include 10+ years in semiconductor wet etch, 3–5 years of management, and a BS in Electrical/Electronics/Opto-electro-mechanical engineering.

Qualifications

• 10+ years direct hands-on Semiconductor Fab experience in the Wet Etch area.
• 3–5 years of management experience.
• BS in Electrical/Electronics/Opto-elect/electro-mechanical Eng or related field.
• Strong leadership, communication, project management & teamwork skills.
• Solid knowledge of wafer processing and Wet/CMP equipment.
• Knowledge of optical systems, electrical circuitry & lean manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Manage resources daily, including off-hours to optimize maintenance and bottleneck tools.
• Drive and initiate projects to improve equipment performance, reliability, and yield.
• Address repeat down events with permanent corrective actions.
• Set and monitor equipment metrics aligned with business needs.
• Mentor staff and conduct performance reviews; address underperformance.
• Control budgets, spare parts, and vendor contracts for cost efficiency.
• Collaborate with Process, Facilities, Production and R&D teams.
• Communicate updates on metrics, performance, and projects to leadership.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Project management

Communication

Teamwork

Mentoring

Budgeting

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Decision making

Education

Bachelor of Science in Electrical/Electronics/Opto-electronics or Electro-mechanical Engineering

Related field experience

Job description

Working in a world class Equipment Engineering organization with a talented group of Equipment Engineers, and Equipment Technicians. An organization that focuses on growth, talent development, and continuous improvement. Responsible for Wet Etch Equipment Engineering area for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities, new equipment installations/start up, and continuous equipment performance improvement. Directly manage a team of Equipment Engineers and Equipment Technicians with 4 shift coverage (24x7) supporting production with focus on Wet tools such as DNS SU2000, DNS FC-821L, SEZ223, FSI Mercury, Naura-Akrion Gama and Rear Mount benches. Need to drive and manage vendor activities and continuous improvement programs (CIP). Interface with Production, Process, R&D, Facilities, and Procurement groups.

This Job Is For You If

• Manage resources daily, including off -hours/weekends, when necessary, to optimize equipment maintenance activities with a focus on top bottleneck tools, leading problem solving for difficult equipment failures, delivering on time PMs, providing adequate manpower coverage, and ensuring parts availability to support Production.
• Identify and initiate projects to improve equipment performance (based on Pareto analysis eliminating chronic/repeat failures), reliability, product cycle time, and yield.
• Focusing on repeat down events and implement systems to ensure these types of events are addressed under a permanent corrective action maintenance activity.
• Meet set metrics goals based on business need and work on solving obstacles, escalating issues, and needed resources
• Assign critical equipment metrics to Engineers that align with the Tower Operations business requirement (Availability, MTBF, MTTR, CoV, wafer scrap, PM compliance).
• Track and monitor engineering improvement projects, and execution scheduling to ensure set deadlines are met.
• Technical and non-technical coaching and mentoring for equipment engineering staff. Solving conflicts and promoting a teamwork environment. Use 1:1 methodology
• Manage administration activities, goal setting and Annual Performance Reviews, and track performance. Address low performing employees and provide roadmap for improvement and disciplinary actions if needed.
• Drive quality implementation system and improvement for Wet/CMP equipment engineering in assigned area.
• Manage costs for Wet/CMP department and be the gatekeeper for budget spending to stay below planned AOP. Control spare parts inventory and reduce cost through improvement or second sourcing without compromising quality.
• Manage and optimize service contracts to achieve low cost and adequate coverage for equipment services.
• In conjunction with Human Resources, ensure skill requirements are planned for and met in the most cost-effective way while maintaining a highly productive work environment.
• Participate in Wet and CMP core teams and work in cross-functional groups: Process, Facility, Production and R&D
• Maintain open communication and periodically communicate to the team about Wet/CMP area key metrics, equipment performance, and projects updates.

Assignment Complexity

• The position is very dynamic and requires tactical, strategic, extensive planning, teamwork, and customer service skills.
• Erroneous decisions will result in delay(s) in manufacturing schedules and will jeopardize short term business activities.

Accountability/Discretion

• Autonomy is expected in engineering level decision-making and CIP roadmap strategy. Equipment Spares budget control month to month is a requirement. Significant capital or sustaining expenditure needs to be justified to management (including ROI analysis). Operational manpower balancing autonomy required.

Working Relationships

• Predominantly internally focused interaction required at all levels from operator UO through the technician, engineering, and management to VP, COO, and CEO level occasionally. External interaction with vendor FSE and management needs to be within Tower policies.

Supervision

• Directly manage Equipment Engineers, Equipment Technicians, and vendor FSE’s onsite through service contracts.

Job Requirements

• 10 years or more of direct hands-on Semiconductor Fab experience in the Wet Etch area with 3 to 5 years of management experience.
• Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis on Electrical/Electronics, Opto-electronics, or Electro-mechanical Engineering, or related field experience is required.
• Candidate must possess strong leadership/management skills, including listening, communication, project management, motivational, and teamwork skills.
• Must have knowledge of wafer processing with a solid understanding of Wet/CMP Equipment and troubleshooting capabilities.
• In addition, candidate must demonstrate a strong knowledge of optical systems, electrical, and electronic circuitry. Also, knowledge of lean manufacturing and Cycle Time theories is strongly preferred.

Working Conditions

• Very dynamic work environment with changing priorities, escalation, and high urgency to respond without any delay. Fab activities that require hands-on support, which includes exposure to a variety of hazards including, Laser, high voltage, RF & microwave frequency power supplies, hazardous gases, and chemicals. Also, occasionally work in a FAB clean-room environment with repetitive motion and lifting load up to 50 pounds. For load higher than 50 pounds help from other technicians and follow safety procedures will be required