Director of Fab Readiness — Interim, Semiconductor Manufacturing

The mandate

Late ultrapure-water and specialty-gas commissioning has broken the integrated schedule for a new fab, while tool suppliers continue mobilising against obsolete dates. The readiness director departed after cost and contamination dependencies were repeatedly escalated without decision.

The interim must begin within four weeks for eighteen months through first qualified production lots. The programme office then closes, and module owners absorb the residual ramp under the permanent manufacturing organisation.

Handover requires all critical utilities meeting stability specifications, priority tools accepted, cleanroom particle excursions inside control, first qualification lots passing agreed electrical tests, and module leaders independently chairing the readiness gate.

The director may resequence tool installation, reject utility handover and approve recovery work below ₹1 crore. Capital reallocation above ₹5 crore, technology-node changes and contractor settlements require the capital committee; process recipes and product release remain with technical and Quality owners.

Commercial wafer allocation, chip architecture and phase-two capacity expansion are excluded. This assignment takes the authorised first phase from integrated commissioning to controlled manufacturing readiness.

Why this seat is open

The schedule failed because civil, utility, tool and process plans were governed separately. Executive departure removed the only nominal integration owner. A finite fab leader is needed to create one technical readiness path and then dismantle the programme structure once module ownership is viable.

What you will own

• Rebuild the integrated schedule from utility stability, cleanroom zones, tool hook-up, acceptance and process qualification.
• Decide tool-install sequence using contamination, dependency, supplier, revenue and recovery-access evidence.
• Establish technical handover criteria for power, gas, water, abatement, exhaust and environmental monitoring.
• Gate cleanroom release through particle, vibration, temperature, humidity and molecular-contamination results.
• Control supplier mobilisation and demobilisation against achievable windows and protected work areas.
• Present cost-to-complete, readiness confidence and critical-path variance weekly to the capital committee.
• Close the programme office after module owners accept systems, evidence and remaining ramp actions.

Candidate qualifications

• More than twenty-two years in wafer-fab construction, commissioning, facilities or manufacturing readiness.
• Integrated at least one greenfield fab from base-build utilities through first qualified production lots.
• Deep understanding of ultrapure water, specialty gases, cleanroom control, abatement and tool hook-up dependencies.
• Experience resolving contractor and equipment-supplier sequence conflicts in contamination-sensitive environments.
• Ability to distinguish mechanical completion, commissioned stability, tool acceptance and process readiness.
• Proven closure of a capital programme office into accountable module operations.

Non-negotiables

• Available onsite in Bengaluru within four weeks and during high-risk commissioning windows.
• Independent of EPC, facility and equipment suppliers engaged on the programme.
• Prepared to reject utility handover when trend stability is not demonstrated.
• Commits to the fixed eighteen-month route through first qualified lots.

1. 49 words maximum. State availability and your ability to support weekend commissioning gates in Bengaluru.
2. 49 words maximum. Which fab utility delay threatened first silicon, and how did you recover the critical path?
3. 49 words maximum. What evidence do you require before accepting ultrapure-water stability for tool connection?