Director of Contract Manufacturing

Ichor•Fremont, CA

About The Position

Owns the manufacturing relationship between the organization and its precision machining supplier base. The role sits at the intersection of mechanical engineering, quality, and supply chain, ensuring machined components—including chambers, housings, brackets, shafts, plates, and assemblies—are delivered on time, to print, and at cost. The ideal candidate has substantial machine-shop-floor experience, understands sources of variation in CNC machining, and can turn that knowledge into supplier accountability and continuous improvement. The position manages supplier relationships and factory engagement, drives manufacturing execution and escalation resolution, leads cross-functional coordination, oversees quality and process performance, and advances technology and continuous improvement. It also manages supplier risks, development plans, and qualification of new machining suppliers. The role requires travel to supplier sites 30–50% of the time. Within 90 days, the successful candidate will have completed shop-floor assessments across the assigned supplier portfolio, identified the top three to five quality and delivery risks, and established review cadences with key suppliers. Within 6–12 months, the candidate will have measurably improved on-time delivery and incoming acceptance rates and led at least one supplier through a structured development or recovery program.

Requirements

At least 10 years of experience in precision machining, mechanical manufacturing, or supplier/factory engineering, including 3–5 years in a direct factory liaison, supplier quality, or commodity management role focused on machined components.
Deep hands-on knowledge of CNC machining processes, including turning, milling, grinding, honing, and EDM, and the factors that drive dimensional variation, surface-finish issues, and scrap.
Ability to read and interpret complex engineering drawings, including GD&T per ASME Y14.5, and communicate drawing requirements clearly to supplier engineering and shop-floor personnel.
Familiarity with metrology tools and methods, including CMM programming or interpretation, surface-roughness measurement, bore gauges, and optical comparators.
Experience managing suppliers of tight-tolerance, high-mix/low-volume machined components; experience in semiconductor equipment, aerospace, defense, or medical devices is preferred.
A track record of resolving escalations and driving supplier accountability without direct organizational authority.
Ability to operate at both executive and shop-floor levels, including giving QBR presentations and risk reviews, walking production cells, reviewing toolpaths, and discussing fixturing with machinists.
Willingness and ability to travel to supplier sites 30–50% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Background in semiconductor capital equipment manufacturing, such as etch, CVD, PVD, lithography, or CMP, and familiarity with its cleanliness, surface-finish, and material-purity requirements.
Experience machining challenging materials, including aluminum alloys, stainless steel, titanium, Inconel, ceramics such as Al₂O₃ and SiC, or PTFE/PEEK plastics.
Familiarity with anodizing, electropolishing, passivation, and other surface-treatment processes used for semiconductor equipment components.
Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification, or equivalent structured problem-solving background.
Experience with ERP/MRP systems and supplier portal tools for tracking open orders, NCRs, and corrective actions.
Knowledge of quality standards such as ISO 9001, AS9100, or SEMI standards.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary contact and escalation point for an assigned portfolio of precision machining suppliers, including CNC turning, milling, grinding, EDM, lapping, and related processes.
Conduct regular on-site factory visits to assess shop-floor operations, capacity utilization, tooling strategies, fixturing, and quality systems.
Build working relationships with supplier ownership, operations managers, and lead machinists to identify and resolve issues proactively.
Lead monthly and quarterly business reviews covering on-time delivery, DPPM, capacity, and continuous-improvement commitments.
Resolve non-conformances, dimensional escapes, surface-finish rejections, and material-certification discrepancies using structured problem-solving methods such as 8D, RCCA, and CAPA.
Manage containment actions and disposition of nonconforming parts with Supplier Quality and incoming inspection teams.
Coordinate supplier responses to engineering change orders, drawing revisions, tolerance updates, and first article inspection requirements.
Monitor supplier performance metrics, including on-time delivery, dimensional yield, surface-finish acceptance rate, and cost of poor quality.
Partner with Mechanical Engineering to provide Design for Manufacturability feedback and flag features that drive scrap, cycle time, or supplier risk.
Collaborate with Commodity Management and Procurement on RFQ strategy, should-cost modeling, and make-versus-buy assessments for machined components.
Represent the supplier perspective in NPI design reviews and ensure machinability is considered early in product development.
Work with Supply Chain and Planning to align supplier capacity with demand signals and manage lead-time risk.
Support FAI and PPAP activities for new programs and significant design changes.
Review and approve supplier control plans, inspection plans, and process capability studies (Cpk/Ppk) for critical-to-function features.
Promote GD&T literacy and proper metrology practices at supplier sites, validating the use of calibrated and appropriate tools such as CMMs, surface profilometers, and bore gauges.
Promote SPC and in-process inspection at machining suppliers to improve quality earlier in the process and reduce reliance on final inspection.
Identify opportunities to reduce unit cost, improve lead time, or increase process robustness through tooling improvements, fixturing investments, process optimization, or supplier consolidation.
Facilitate value-engineering workshops with suppliers and internal engineering to reduce cost without compromising form, fit, or function.
Monitor machining technology trends, including advanced cutting-tool materials, high-speed machining, 5-axis capabilities, and automation, and identify opportunities across the supply base.
Maintain supplier risk assessments covering single-source exposure, capacity constraints, equipment age, workforce stability, and financial health.
Develop and execute supplier development plans for underperforming machining partners, including on-site improvement sprints and milestone-based recovery tracking.
Lead qualification of new machining suppliers, including capability audits, process trials, and FAI sign-off.