EVP – Customer Operations — Mixed-Signal Portfolio

The mandate

A US mixed-signal portfolio is strengthening supply assurance as it manages foundry, package and test options across its product line. Each function has a continuity plan, but customer notification, qualification, allocation and inventory decisions are fragmented. The urgent replacement EVP – Customer Operations will create one customer-facing operating truth.

Approximately 900 employees and material partners span product, applications, supply, quality, commercial and customer programmes. The EVP owns customer planning, order promise, programme recovery, allocation governance and fulfilment interfaces and reports to the Group Chief Executive or sponsor. Quality retains release; engineering retains technical qualification.

Supply assurance will be expressed as time to qualified customer output. A second supplier name is insufficient when masks, package, test hardware, firmware or customer approval differ. The leader will map obligations and evidence by customer, product and serial effectivity.

Allocation during constraint will consider production consequence, safety or regulated use, contract, qualification, alternatives and long-term value. Revenue alone cannot decide. Every exception needs recorded rationale and one external message.

Bridge inventory requires ownership and expiry. Die banks, packaged stock and finished goods may protect customers but can become obsolete after design or process change. The EVP will negotiate forecast, cancellation and storage terms and avoid pushing risk into channels.

Customer communication will separate confirmed fact, containment, next evidence and recovery hypothesis. Samples and alternate-source units must carry status and limitation. Account teams may not make side promises that conflict with the agreed allocation.

Quality incidents require the same integrated ownership. When a complaint may involve several lots, test versions or manufacturing routes, the EVP will ensure customer containment follows the broadest evidence-supported population until technical authority narrows it. Credits or replacement cannot be used to avoid a proper failure investigation.

Forecast governance will distinguish contractual demand, customer schedule, channel stock and consumption. Double-counted or aspirational orders can distort wafer and inventory decisions. Customer operations will document overrides, track forecast behaviour by programme and require commercial explanation before scarce supply is reserved.

End-of-life supply is not a secondary activity. Mature devices may support medical, industrial or transport systems long after new-product attention moves elsewhere. The EVP will define last-time-buy, die-bank, test-hardware, software and quality-record obligations and ensure customers receive enough notice to make responsible choices.

Data exchange with customers and partners needs controlled purpose. Demand, yield, failure and configuration information may be commercially or technically sensitive. Programme rooms will restrict access, preserve source and prevent one customer’s evidence from entering another negotiation. Urgent recovery cannot justify informal file sharing.

Success measures will include decision quality, not only service. A date changed early with evidence may protect more value than a late on-time shipment achieved through uncontrolled expedite. Leadership incentives will reward transparent risk and sustained fulfilment rather than quarter-end promise manipulation.

Customer operations will also govern contractual service recovery. Expedite, priority build, engineering support and credits carry different precedent and cost. Concessions will be documented against reciprocal forecast, qualification or acceptance commitments, with finance validating lifetime programme consequence. A short-term customer settlement cannot close the underlying supply action or obscure repeated failure.

Customer audit evidence will be retained by programme and route.

The predecessor resigned after relocation. The hybrid San Jose role will travel to customers and suppliers and may strengthen programme leadership without absorbing sales or quality authority.

What you will own

• Establish customer-specific supply-assurance and qualification plans.
• Govern order promise, allocation, bridge inventory and recovery.
• Align foundry, package and test alternatives to customer approval.
• Create one escalation and communication fact base.
• Protect lifecycle and end-of-life supply obligations.
• Integrate customer evidence into supply investment.
• Reduce repeated shortages and programme ambiguity.
• Build customer-operations leadership and succession.

The first 12 months

In the first 45 days, review priority customers, trace claimed contingencies and reconcile committed dates to qualified output. Correct unsupported messages and set interim allocation.

By month six, qualify priority alternate routes, agree customer bridge plans and implement common programme recovery. Clarify inventory ownership and strengthen account operations.

At twelve months, deliver 96% of protected customer commitments, reduce unqualified contingency claims by 80% and complete 95% of required alternate approvals. Emergency freight and customer credits should fall 35%, with no line-down caused by a known undisclosed supply gap.

What the sponsor will measure

• Customer promises linked to qualified physical supply.
• Allocation consistent and externally defensible.
• Bridge inventory funded against explicit obligations.
• Sample and alternate status communicated accurately.
• Lifecycle support preserved through disruption.
• Customer operations resolving issues without shadow authority.

The person

You bring 22–28 years in semiconductor customer operations, programmes or supply, including mixed-signal products. You have protected production customers through foundry, package or test disruption.

Your prior scope should exceed US$500 million revenue or 650 employees and partners. Evidence must include a customer allocation, alternate qualification and bridge-stock decision. You can negotiate with customers while preserving technical release authority.

Compensation and terms

Base compensation is US$320,000–420,000 plus annual incentive linked to continuity, qualification, customer outcomes, inventory and leadership. This permanent hybrid San Jose role reports to the Group Chief Executive or designated sponsor. Prompt transition is preferred.

Confidentiality

The portfolio, customers, products, suppliers, allocations and contingencies remain confidential. Detail follows suitability, conflicts and signed confidentiality. Applicants must not approach customers or partners to identify the enterprise.