Panel Packaging Technology Enablement Director

Applied Materials•Austin, TX

1d•$176,000 - $242,000

About The Position

Applied Materials is building the equipment, process, and integration capability to make panel-level packaging a production-ready scaling path for AI accelerators and high-performance computing. The Director, Panel Packaging Technology Enablement leads development and validation of panel process solutions, from core substrate formation through build-up and interconnect. This role combines technical leadership of panel integration programs, direct engagement with customers and ecosystem partners, and management of a multidisciplinary engineering team. The Director sets the technical direction for panel enablement within the business unit and represents Applied Materials across the substrate, OSAT, foundry, and materials ecosystem. The Director defines and executes the panel technology enablement roadmap, translating package architecture requirements into unit-process and integration targets. The role leads complex integration programs from concept through customer transfer, identifies portfolio gaps, and coordinates across product divisions to deliver integrated panel solutions. It also serves as the primary technical lead to strategic customers, oversees joint development programs and evaluations, and represents Applied Materials in industry partnerships, consortia, standards bodies, conferences, and publications. The position builds and develops a multidisciplinary team of process, integration, and applications engineers; sets priorities; plans resources and budgets; and aligns team output with business unit objectives. The Director mentors technical talent, fosters disciplined and data-driven execution, coordinates resources across functions, and contributes to intellectual property strategy through patents and publications.

Requirements

Ph.D. in chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or a related field with 12 or more years of experience in semiconductor packaging, substrate, or interconnect technology development; alternatively, an M.S. with 15 or more years of experience.
Hands-on technical depth in advanced packaging integration, such as 2.5D/3D packaging, high-density substrates, fan-out, or build-up processing.
Working knowledge of PVD, plating, etch, lithography, and dielectric processes.
Demonstrated experience leading engineering teams and delivering complex technology programs to customers or into high-volume manufacturing.
Experience presenting to and negotiating with senior customer and partner leadership.
Track record of patents, publications, and conference presentations.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with panel-format processing, glass core substrates, through-glass vias, or fine-line RDL at sub-5 µm line/space.
Familiarity with AI accelerator and HPC package architectures, including chiplet integration and HBM co-packaging.
Established relationships across the Asia-Pacific substrate and OSAT ecosystem and participation in industry consortia.
Experience managing joint development agreements and multi-party technical programs.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the panel technology enablement roadmap, translating AI package architecture requirements into panel process and integration targets.
Plan integrated process flows spanning core formation, through-glass via fabrication and metallization, fine-line RDL and build-up layers, and panel-scale interconnect.
Lead complex integration programs from concept through customer transfer, including customized process development.
Design and analyze engineering experiments within safety guidelines, applying DOE and statistical methods to establish process windows and resolve integration issues.
Identify Applied Materials portfolio gaps and provide feedback to business unit and product division leaders on process and hardware improvements.
Coordinate across product divisions to deliver integrated panel solutions rather than individual tools.
Serve as the primary technical lead to strategic customers, position new technologies, negotiate process specifications and service offerings, and own delivery of customer solutions.
Establish and oversee joint development programs, evaluations, and beta-site activities at customer development and manufacturing sites.
Define demonstration conditions, review results, and ensure learnings are captured and applied across the portfolio.
Present to customer and partner executives and work with account teams to strengthen customer satisfaction and Applied Materials’ technical standing.
Build and manage partnerships with materials suppliers, substrate makers, equipment partners, research institutes, and universities to address ecosystem gaps.
Represent Applied Materials in industry consortia, standards bodies, and technical committees; publish and present at packaging conferences and journals.
Build, lead, and develop a multidisciplinary team of process, integration, and applications engineers.
Set team priorities, manage resource and budget planning, and align team output with business unit objectives.
Recruit and retain technical talent, mentor engineers, and foster disciplined execution, data-driven decisions, and cross-functional collaboration.
Create mechanisms to track program progress, communicate issues, and draw resources from multiple business units and functions.
Contribute to intellectual property strategy and lead the team in generating patents and publications in panel technology.