Head of SAL Microfabrication

As Head of Cleanroom Operations & Engineering, you will lead a growing team and shape the future of SAL’s semiconductor R&D cleanroom. Combining operational excellence, engineering leadership and a strong focus on people development, you will enable cutting-edge research, drive technology transfer and build the capabilities needed to turn innovative ideas into robust, scalable processes.

Your future tasks include:

• Lead and develop a growing cleanroom operations and engineering organization of approximately 40 employees, working through an established structure of team leaders and department-level management.
• Ensure reliable and effective operation of the SAL semiconductor R&D cleanroom and continuously develop the organization to meet future growth and technology needs.
• Manage the cleanroom cost center, including operating and capital budgets, resource planning and investment priorities.
• Establish procedures, standards and operating practices that enable safe, flexible and efficient execution of advanced research and technology-development activities.
• Develop the organization through recruitment, delegation of responsibilities, coaching, technical development and succession planning, while strengthening the existing leadership structure.
• Define and implement operating principles and priorities that balance research flexibility with reproducibility, process discipline and operational reliability.
• Support the continued ramp-up and development of the cleanroom infrastructure, including introduction and qualification of new equipment, tools, processes and supporting infrastructure.
• Plan and coordinate the integration of new tools and capabilities into the cleanroom, ensuring that infrastructure and engineering capabilities evolve with the needs of the research programs.
• Take over EHS responsibilities, particularly in the field of chemistry.
• Enable the transition of research-developed processes toward robust, reproducible and scalable process flows and early productization.
• Work closely with SAL research units to translate emerging technologies and research results into manufacturable processes and demonstrate technology readiness.
• Support pilot prototyping activities where appropriate, while maintaining the flexibility required in an R&D environment.
• Establish appropriate quality and process-control practices to support reproducibility, yield improvement, defect reduction and structured root-cause investigation.
• Regularly align priorities, resources and capabilities with SAL management, research teams and supporting departments.

Your profile:

• M.S. or PhD in semiconductor engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, physics or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in a technical leadership role within semiconductor, MEMS, microfabrication or a comparable cleanroom environment.
• Proven leadership and management experience in a multidisciplinary technical organization, including experience working through team leaders or other levels of management.
• Experience working at the interface between semiconductor research, process development and manufacturing.
• Strong practical understanding of semiconductor fabrication and cleanroom operations.
• Experience in transferring R&D process flows toward pilot production, low-volume manufacturing or early productization.
• Experience with introducing and ramping up new equipment, processes and infrastructure in a cleanroom environment.
• Knowledge of quality management, process control, yield improvement and structured problem solving.
• Strong ability to balance research flexibility with operational discipline and reproducibility.
• Strong technical writing, presentation and communication skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English; German is a plus.

Important Facts about SAL:

• Diverse research activities with many technical challenges.
• State-of-the-art laboratory facilities and equipment.
• Location in the heart of Europe in Austria – relocation support for non-European nationalities.
• Internal and external training opportunities for career development.
• Family & children friendly - actively shaping the compatibility of family and career.
• “Vital4SAL” to promote a healthy workplace (e.g. SAL coaching pool, trainings on mental health, physical activities, healthy snacks, 24/7 accident insurance)
• € 4 per day meal allowance in restaurants or € 2 per working day in supermarkets.
• Public transport initiative (subsidy for the “Klimaticket”)
• Our values: Open door policy, flexibility in working hours, casual dress code, diverse teams, working with people of different nationalities, inform