Senior Director Foundry Operations and Front-End Yield Engineer

Renesas; California; On-site; USD 232,000 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus opportunities

Job summary

Renesas is seeking a Senior Director Foundry Operations and Front-End Yield Engineer to lead global manufacturing partnerships, tape-out execution, and yield optimization strategies. You will own the operational relationship with top-tier semiconductor foundries, driving technology transfers and ensuring high-yield production scale.

As a key operational leader, you will bridge design engineering with external/internal manufacturing to meet aggressive product launch timelines, oversee end-to-end

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in EE or Materials Science with solid-state electronics focus.
• Extensive semiconductor engineering experience (15–20 years) including fab/foundry exposure.
• Proven leadership in foundry operations and yield management.
• Experience with process KPI matching and qualification.
• Ability to coordinate with internal/external stakeholders under pressure.
• Experience with tape-out execution and NPI processes.

Responsibilities

• Own executive-level relationships with external foundry partners
• Manage vendor performance metrics (cycle time, delivery reliability)
• Drive yield analysis and product engineering initiatives
• Collaborate with foundry engineers to contain yield excursions and implement SPC pipelines
• Lead capacity expansion, fab transfers and qualification
• Validate process matching across foundries and fabs
• Oversee tape-out and NPI tape-out pipeline
• Align design timelines with foundry shuttle schedules and mask windows
• Mitigate risks during critical tape-out phases

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Process improvement

Semiconductor experience

Fab/foundry operations

Yield engineering

Change management

Education

Master's/PhD in Electrical Engineering or Materials Science

Tools

SPC/Data monitoring pipelines

Job description

Senior Director Foundry Operations and Front-End Yield Engineer

Job Description

The Senior Director of Foundry Operations & yield Engineering/management will lead global manufacturing partnerships, tape-out execution, and yield optimization strategies. You will own the operational relationship with top-tier semiconductor foundries, driving technology transfers and ensuring predictable, high-yield production scale. As a key operational leader, you will bridge the gap between design engineering and external / internal manufacturing to meet aggressive product launch timelines.

• Own executive-level business and technical relationships with external foundry partners
• Manage vendor performance metrics covering cycle time, delivery reliability, excursion control / management
• Drive systematic yield analysis, failure analysis, and product engineering initiatives
• Collaborate with foundry engineers to rapidly identify, contain, and resolve baseline yield excursions. Implement advanced statistical process control (SPC) data monitoring pipelines to maximize wafer-per-wafer profitability
• Direct cross-functional strategies for foundry capacity expansion, tool expansion planning, fab transfers & Fab qualification
• Validate process matching across various foundries and fabs
• Minimize supply chain disruption during complex fabrication site-to-site transfers
• Oversee the end-to-end execution of the test-chip and New Product Introduction (NPI) tape-out pipeline
• Align design engineering timelines with foundry shuttle schedules and mask generation windows
• Mitigate technical risks during critical tape-out phases to prevent schedule slips

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering or Material Science with focus on Solid-State-Electronics, semiconductors; 15-20 years' experience working in semiconductor Engineering (preferred: team management skills)
• Hands on experience defining, driving execution & delivering complex tasks (at Fabless or at Foundry)
• Demonstrated leadership roles in foundry operations, yield engineering / management, tool expansions/fab transfers
• Track record of execution in Fab matching activities, including but not limited to process KPI match / qualification
• Ability to work with internal and external stakeholders in a collaborative manner and appropriate level of tension
• Change champion able to identify, implement and execute new processes to continuously improve and challenge organizations
• High degree of professionalism to represent our division and Renesas in customer meetings and other formal reviews / negotiations
• Motivated, committed and career driven to learn new techniques and emerging technologies

Company Description

Renesas is one of the top global semiconductor companies in the world. We strive to develop a safer, healthier, greener, and smarter world, and our goal is to make every endpoint intelligent by offering product solutions in the Automotive, Industrial, Infrastructure and IoT markets. Our robust product portfolio includes world-leading MCUs, SoCs, analog / connectivity and power products, plus Winning Combination solutions that create these complementary products. We are a key supplier to the world's leading manufacturers of the electronic systems you rely on every day; you may not see our products, but they are all around you.

Renesas employs roughly 22,000 people in more than 30 countries worldwide. As a global team, our employees actively embody the Renesas Culture, our guiding principles based on five key elements: Transparent, Agile, Global, Innovative, and Entrepreneurial. Renesas believes in, and has a commitment to diversity and inclusion, with initiatives and a leadership team dedicated to its resources and values. At Renesas, we want to build a sustainable future where technology helps make our lives easier. Join us and build your future by being part of what's next in electronics and the world.

About Operations Engineering Division (OED)

OED is integral part of operations team that supports all Product Groups, Design and Development teams, and other organizations including Sales, Marketing, Business Operations, Supply change management, Quality, and Procurement. OED provides a platform for managing all process technology and PDK development for both Internal and External Foundry processes. This strong and highly qualified team (mostly MS/PhD) adds strength in developing Process Technology, Test Technology, Foundry Operations, and Yield management. Our world class contributions lead to aggressive NPI strategies and continuous cost and gross margin improvements.

Additional Information

The expected annual pay range for this position is $232,000K-$290,000. This position is also eligible for bonus opportunities. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience, and skillset of the candidate.

Renesas offers a full range of elective benefits including medica