Director - Applications

Element Solutions Inc•San Jose, CA

4d•$174,732 - $262,098

About The Position

MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions is seeking an experienced, forward-thinking Global Applications Director to lead application development for ActiveCopper, its next-generation copper paste and sintering platform. The role may be based at an existing MacDermid Alpha facility in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, or San Jose. The Director will lead internal application process development, customer prototypes and builds, on-site customer qualifications, equipment partnerships, application reliability methodologies, and collaborative lab management. The team will use materials science, processing and deposition expertise, structured design of experiments, and statistical analysis to develop documented, optimized paste deposition processes with minimal to no defects and suitable for high-volume semiconductor and electronics manufacturing while meeting customer yield targets. The Director will also identify and onboard application equipment that can meet customer design and manufacturability targets. The position provides technical leadership and mentoring to the Global ActiveCopper Applications Development and Qualifications teams, spanning managerial, supervisory, engineering, and technical roles. The Director will set technical direction, support global alignment, partner with R&D Innovation in San Jose and printed circuit board and IC substrate experts in Waterbury, and work with qualification teams in Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea. The role also represents ActiveCopper applications to customers and internal stakeholders, collaborates with Business Development teams throughout the adoption process, and participates in global technical knowledge-sharing forums.

Requirements

10–15 years of relevant technical experience in electronics manufacturing, materials science, or a related applications field.
Experience leading a group of 7 or more engineers and/or scientists.
Demonstrated experience mentoring and developing team members.
Demonstrated success in a global leadership role.
Ability to lead and coach teams in problem-solving through experimental design and interpretation using statistical analysis; proficiency in DOE, Six Sigma, or related methodologies.
Ability to connect business strategy, customer applications, and technical knowledge to advance commercial positioning.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience authoring technical reports and presenting to technical and customer audiences.
Willingness to travel up to 50%.
Prioritizes safety for self and team.

Nice To Haves

Direct hands-on experience with fabrication in semiconductor, microelectronics, medical devices, printed circuitry, and materials.
Likely educational background in Mechanical, Chemical, or Industrial Engineering, or Materials Science.

Responsibilities

Lead development of the ActiveCopper paste deposition process, optimizing quality and consistency and advancing product maturity from Early to Capable and from Capable to Deployed.
Lead, supervise, mentor, and develop Applications Managers, Engineers, and Applications Technicians; create development plans to build team members into ActiveCopper application-process subject matter experts.
Organize and staff work with the Application Qualification Team (AQT) and Application Deployment Team (ADT) to integrate paste deposition processes into full board builds, including preplate, sinter, post-plate, and planarization.
Ensure the team has the skills, tools, and direction to design and execute systematic studies using advanced printing, vacuum-assisted deposition, laser stencil cutting, and sinter press equipment, producing data packages for customer qualification and scale-up.
Develop the AQT applications group’s communication and business acumen, and lead customer technical reviews and troubleshooting to help customers qualify and scale ActiveCopper on their production lines.
Foster collaboration with R&D Innovation, metrology, Business Development, and Product Management to address chemistry, process, and equipment challenges; establish mechanisms that support collaboration.
Ensure the ADT and AQT groups have appropriate metrology equipment, including cross-section, SEM, AOI, and X-ray techniques, to characterize deposit quality, board reliability, and process performance.
Lead and coach the organization in preparing and delivering technical presentations and reports to internal partners and external customers; author technical documentation and application-process best-practice guidelines.
Provide input into the ActiveCopper business unit’s strategic direction based on application-development results and industry best practices.
Represent ActiveCopper applications with customers and internal stakeholders, and participate in customer demonstrations, applications, and global technical knowledge-sharing forums.
Prioritize personal and team safety and contribute to a culture of safety.
Travel up to 50%.