Sr. Manager, Fab Quality Engineering

Location: Alhambra, CA (Onsite)

Our Team

SPP is a vertically integrated photonics business focused on the design, fabrication, and delivery of Indium Phosphide (InP) semiconductor laser and gain chips. SPP operates two wafer fabrication facilities in Southern California supporting advanced photonic devices and customer die demand.

Job Summary

The Sr. Manager, Fab Quality Engineering serves as the senior quality leader within SPP Operations and is responsible for building and leading the manufacturing quality organization across both fabrication facilities. The role establishes quality systems, inspection practices, quality metrics, and quality culture while partnering closely with Operations, Engineering, and the Sr. Manager, Photonics Quality Engineering to support business growth and manufacturing excellence.

This position provides leadership for manufacturing quality strategy, execution, and organizational development across both fabrication facilities and is expected to maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor. The role supports Epitaxial Growth, Wafer Fabrication, Bar Processing, Chip Processing, and Test Operations, and works closely with Epitaxy, Process, Product, and Equipment Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Planning, Supply Chain, Test Operations, and Reliability & Failure Analysis.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and lead the SPP Fab Quality organization across both fabrication facilities

• Recruit, develop, and manage quality inspectors while building future technician and quality engineering capabilities

• Establish quality procedures, metrics, escalation processes, reporting systems, and a culture of quality ownership and continuous improvement.

• Establish incoming inspection processes, acceptance criteria, and material-control procedures for critical materials including III-V substrates, epitaxial source materials, specialty gases, precious metals, process chemicals, and optical and test consumables

• Verify material certifications; establish supplier qualification, monitoring, corrective-action, and containment processes

• Ensure traceability and disposition tracking.

• Develop and implement in-process quality control systems, containment and escalation processes for quality excursions, and process controls across manufacturing operations

• Monitor process performance and quality trends

• Drive reduction of defects, scrap, rework, and quality escapes; and ensure consistent quality practices across both fabs.

• Implement and maintain manufacturing quality systems, including Statistical Process Control (SPC), CAPA, Non-Conforming Material Report (NCMR) processes, FMEA, and process control plans

• Provide independent quality review and approval of Engineering Change Notices (ECNs), process changes, and manufacturing transfers

• Establish and maintain ESD control programs and quality documentation and records.

• Lead investigations of manufacturing quality excursions and process escapes in partnership with Process Engineering and Product Engineering

• Monitor process capability (Cp/Cpk)

• Provide quality leadership for measurement-system capability and MSA activities

• Support tool and process qualification and requalification

• Use quality data to improve process stability, defect reduction, and yield.

• Maintain audit readiness across both fabrication facilities

• Support internal, customer, and ISO audits

• Support contamination-control initiatives and cleanroom environmental monitoring

• Ensure quality documentation meets compliance requirements

• Partner with the Sr. Manager, Photonics Quality Engineering on corporate quality initiatives and enterprise quality alignment.

• Other relevant tasks, as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Education & Experience)

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline

• Experience: 7+ years of manufacturing quality experience within wafer fabrication, photonics, compound semiconductor, or related advanced manufacturing environments

• Leadership: 3+ years of people leadership experience

• Strong knowledge of SPC, CAPA, NCMR, FMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and manufacturing quality systems

• Experience leading root-cause investigations and corrective-action programs

• Experience supporting semiconductor wafer fabrication or advanced manufacturing operations

• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills

• Experience working effectively across Operations and Engineering functions

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in wafer-fab quality within silicon semiconductor, compound semiconductor, photonics, III-V semiconductor, optoelectronics, or optical communications manufacturing environments

• Experience supporting epitaxial growth operations

• Experience building or scaling manufacturing quality organizations within multi-site manufacturing environments

• Experience with supplier-quality programs and semiconductor MES systems

• Comfortable operating in evolving, high-mix manufacturing environments with limited historical data

• Desire to learn InP epitaxial growth, wafer fabrication, and photonics manufacturing technologies

The intent of this job description is to describe the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically included in this description.

All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace.

A reasonable estimate of the pay range for this position is $130,000 - $180,000. There are several factors taken into consideration in determining base salary, including but not limited to: job-related qualifications, skills, education and experience, as well as job location and the value of other elements of an employee’s total compensation package.

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