Director Semiconductor Application Engineering

Sibelco Group • Charlotte, NC

3d

About The Position

The Director Semiconductor Application Engineering will build Sibelco's application-led semiconductor capability and help transform high-purity quartz (HPQ) from a raw-material offering into a strategic technology partnership. The role connects customer process requirements with product engineering, qualification, T&I and manufacturing to influence customer roadmaps, accelerate qualification, strengthen value-in-use arguments and co-develop next-generation HPQ solutions.

The position acts as a senior technical counterpart to semiconductor fabs, wafer and crucible producers, fused-quartz fabricators and semiconductor equipment OEMs. It engages customer process engineering, R&D, quality and technology-roadmap teams at the application level, and leads technical discussions across crucibles, fused-quartz consumables, clean thermal applications, etch and other targeted semiconductor applications.

The role maps customer process conditions and performance requirements to HPQ material properties, co-leads application-specific product development and validation, and develops value-in-use evidence. It supports qualification strategy and technical problem solving, monitors semiconductor technology and competitive materials, and builds application knowledge and capability across Sibelco teams.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Semiconductor Engineering, Physics, Ceramics, Glass Science or a related discipline.
• Typically 10 to 15 years of relevant experience in semiconductor equipment, device manufacturing, process integration, semiconductor materials, fused quartz or high-purity materials.
• Demonstrated experience translating process or device requirements into material or component specifications.
• Experience with customer qualification, change control, failure analysis and cross-functional technical problem solving.
• Credibility engaging technical leaders within equipment OEMs, fabs, wafer producers, crucible manufacturers or quartzware fabricators.
• Experience leading technical work across multiple regions and organisational boundaries.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Semiconductor Engineering, Physics, Ceramics, Glass Science or a related discipline.
• Industry background with semiconductor equipment or process technology companies such as Lam Research, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, Kokusai, ASM or comparable organisations.
• Industry background with device, foundry or memory manufacturers such as Intel, TSMC, Samsung, Micron or comparable organisations.
• Industry background with quartz, crucible or materials companies such as Heraeus, Momentive, QSIL, SUMCO, Shin-Etsu or comparable organisations.

Responsibilities

• Act as a senior technical counterpart to semiconductor fabs, wafer and crucible producers, fused-quartz fabricators and semiconductor equipment OEMs.
• Engage customer process engineering, R&D, quality and technology-roadmap teams at the application level.
• Lead technical discussions across crucibles, fused-quartz consumables, clean thermal applications, etch and other targeted semiconductor applications.
• Build structured engagement plans for strategic ecosystem participants, including equipment makers, fabricators, research institutes and end users.
• Map customer process conditions, failure modes and performance requirements to relevant HPQ material properties.
• Translate application requirements into product targets covering impurity chemistry, hydroxyl content, particle-size distribution, fusion behaviour, bubble formation, devitrification, viscosity and component lifetime.
• Co-lead application-specific product development and validation with T&I, operations, external laboratories and customers.
• Develop value-in-use dossiers linking HPQ characteristics to yield, component life, particles, downtime, process stability and qualification risk.
• Provide application-level input to qualification strategy while Technical Sales & Customer Qualification retains milestone and quality-interface ownership.
• Support root-cause analysis of qualification failures and customer performance issues, converting findings into product, process or specification improvement actions.
• Define testing protocols, acceptance criteria and evidence packages for application validation.
• Capture and reuse qualification learning across customers, applications and regions.
• Monitor semiconductor process evolution, including advanced logic, memory, HBM and advanced packaging, and assess effects on quartz performance requirements.
• Assess application-level threats and opportunities from synthetic silica, silicon carbide, ceramics and other alternative materials.
• Identify defend, grow, explore and no-go application zones based on technical fit, qualification barriers and value creation.
• Provide technical insight to long-range HPQ product and capacity roadmaps.
• Create and maintain a central application knowledge repository combining analytical, modelling, laboratory, qualification and customer information.
• Publish internal application guides, customer-facing technical papers and training materials.
• Coach Strategic Account Sales, Technical Sales, T&I and operations teams in semiconductor applications and customer process requirements.
• Help recruit and develop additional application engineers as customer demand and the co-development pipeline scale.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director