Position Overview:

This position reports directly to the Camas, Washington facility Managing Director and has a key strategic technical role in the continued development of a fast growing analog & mixed signal Wafer Fabrication environment. The role has responsibility for setting technical direction with respect to toolset and process technology, defining and implementing manufacturing systems and for developing and mentoring a group of functional managers and engineers. This position has direct responsibility for approximately 30 Process Engineers and Technicians operating in volume manufacturing environment.

The successful candidate will possess a significant number of the following attributes:

Key Qualities and Attributes:

Leadership skills:

• The candidate should have a consistent approach to yield improvement, problem solving, process control and productivity improvement that he/she reinforces with the engineering team.
• The candidate should be capable of mentoring and teaching where needed as well as implementing and maintaining systems for sustained improvement.
• It is especially important that the candidate has experience in a manufacturing environment where engineering plays a supporting role to the production organization.

Strong background in Quality Management Systems:

• The candidate should be comfortable with 8D, FMEA, SPC, Control Plans, QFD and Design of Experiments and various problem solving methodologies at a level where he/she can coach and mentor engineers in the proper applications of these systems.

Business Orientation:

• The successful candidate will have a thorough knowledge of budgetary and strategic financial planning tools and cost reduction methodologies.
• He/She will also demonstrate an ability to make key technical decisions that are backed by sound financial analysis, using tools such as NPV, Payback or other similar tools as appropriate.

Technical and Analytical:

• The candidate will have demonstrated a successful track record in Process Engineering Management and will be able to relate examples of his/her success and the role that they played in these successes’.
• The candidate’s technical skills should include knowledge of CMOS, Bipolar and BiCMOS technologies (both large and small geometry.)
• The candidate should possess unit process experience in all or most of the following areas: Thin Films, Photolithography, Implant, Diffusion, Chemical Vapor Deposition, Epitaxial Silicon Deposition and Electrical Test. Yield analysis experience is a plus.
• The candidate should also possess a working knowledge of the device physics of Bipolar and CMOS transistors.
• Understanding of simple analog cells such as: Current mirrors, Voltage references, basic Op AMP characteristics, ESD cells, etc. is a plus.

Manufacturing:

• The candidate should be versed in manufacturing tools such as Lean Manufacturing, TPS, TPM and OEE.
• Along with these tools, the candidate should have experience in managing the Team environment and be able to facilitate problem solving, brainstorming and Kaizen activities.
• The candidate should have experience sponsoring and mentoring cross-functional teams.

Communication:

• The candidate must have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and must be comfortable in both “one on one” situations and in a large group environment.
• He/She must effectively build a team while interfacing with Linear’s other wafer fab as well as with product engineering and corporate quality.

Qualifications and Experience:

• It is expected that this candidate will posses a minimum of a BS in Electronic/ Materials/Chemistry/Physics, with preference given to a MS or PhD candidate.
• A minimum of 10years experience of the semiconductor industry is required.
• It would also be an advantage if the candidate has obtained an MBA.