Director - Equipment Engineering & Tool Installation

Job Description

Job Description

Salary:

Job/Position Summary

The Head of Equipment Engineering & Tool Installation will lead the specification review, procurement support, installation, commissioning, qualification, maintenance setup, and ramp readiness of process and metrology tools for the companys advanced substrate manufacturing facility in India. This role is critical during the greenfield fab setup phase and will ensure that all tools are correctly specified, utility-ready, safely installed, qualified on schedule, and transitioned into stable manufacturing operation.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in semiconductor, OSAT, advanced substrate, PCB, display, or precision electronics manufacturing equipment, with the ability to work across global tool vendors, facilities teams, process engineers, EHS, procurement, and construction contractors.

Primary Responsibilities

• Own equipment engineering for substrate fab tools, including wet process, plating, lithography, laser processing, PVD/seed, dielectric buildup, lamination, develop/etch/strip, surface finish, metrology, inspection, reliability, and electrical test.
• Review and validate tool specifications, utility matrices, footprints, service clearances, floor loading, vibration requirements, exhaust needs, chemical requirements, UPW/DI water requirements, drainage, power, CDA, vacuum, nitrogen, and chilled water.
• Work with process integration to convert the process flow into tool capability requirements and capacity assumptions.
• Support make-versus-buy and day-one-versus-phase-two equipment decisions.
• Identify tool gaps, duplicate capability risks, capacity bottlenecks, and utility conflicts.

2. Tool Procurement Support

• Support procurement in the technical evaluation of equipment vendors and commercial packages.
• Participate in RFQ/RFP preparation, technical bid comparison, vendor discussions, and negotiation support.
• Define acceptance criteria, FAT/SAT requirements, warranty expectations, spare parts packages, service agreements, and training requirements.
• Review vendor drawings, installation manuals, hookup requirements, and shipping/rigging constraints before purchase order release.

3. Fab Layout & Tool Hookup Coordination

• Work with facilities, cleanroom, MEP, and EPC teams to finalize tool layout and hookup design.
• Ensure each tool has correct utility drops, exhaust connections, drains, chemical lines, gas panels, safety interlocks, and maintenance access.
• Coordinate tool move-in path, rigging plans, cleanroom access, loading dock requirements, and temporary storage.
• Validate tool-to-tool flow, operator access, material movement, service corridor access, and maintenance clearance.
• Prevent late-stage layout changes caused by incorrect tool utility assumptions.

4. Installation, Commissioning & Qualification

• Lead the tool installation schedule and manage vendor installation activities.
• Own tool installation checklists, safety reviews, utility readiness, pre-installation inspections, and installation signoff.
• Coordinate FAT, SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ, and process qualification readiness.
• Work with process, quality, and manufacturing teams to qualify tools for production.
• Establish equipment acceptance documentation and handover to operations.
• Track tool installation risks, open issues, punch lists, and vendor corrective actions.

5. Equipment Maintenance & Reliability

• Build the equipment maintenance organization for the fab.
• Define preventive maintenance schedules, calibration plans, critical spare parts lists, consumables, service contracts, and tool uptime KPIs.
• Establish MTBF, MTTR, uptime, availability, and maintenance response metrics.
• Develop local maintenance capability while managing vendor support.
• Create escalation paths for chronic tool problems and yield-impacting equipment issues.

6. Safety, Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure all equipment installations comply with EHS, fire safety, electrical safety, chemical safety, and statutory requirements.
• Review tool safety features, including interlocks, emergency stops, exhaust monitoring, leak detection, chemical containment, and waste handling.
• Maintain equipment documentation, including manuals, utility specs, installation records, PM procedures, calibration records, risk assessments, and change-control records.
• Support SEZ/import documentation related to equipment classification, installation, and commissioning.

7. Cross-Functional Leadership

• Interface with facilities, process integration, procurement, quality, EHS, finance, IT/automation, and manufacturing.
• Lead weekly tool readiness and installation review meetings.
• Provide management reports on tool delivery, installation progress, risks, costs, and ramp readiness.
• Mentor equipment engineers and technicians as the India team scales.

Requirements

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• 1220+ years of experience in semiconductor, OSAT, substrate, PCB, display, solar, precision electronics, or high-tech manufacturing equipment.
• At least 5+ years in a leadership role managing equipment engineering, tool installation, maintenance, or fab ramp.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience with tool installation, utility hookup, vendor management, FAT/SAT, and equipment qualification.
• Strong understanding of cleanroom equipment requirements and high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Experience working with global equipment vendors and local Indian facilities/MEP teams.
• Ability to read and review tool layouts, utility drawings, P&IDs, electrical requirements, exhaust requirements, and installation manuals.
• Strong project management, problem-solving, and cross-functional coordination skills.

• Experience in advanced substrates, ABF buildup, glass substrates, TGV, FCBGA, SiP, RF modules, or semiconductor packaging preferred.
• Prior greenfield fab setup experience in India or Asia preferred.
• Familiarity with panel-level processing tools preferred.
• Experience with wet process, plating, lithography, PVD, inspection, and test equipment preferred.
• Knowledge of SEZ equipment import processes and Indian statutory compliance preferred.
• Experience setting up preventive maintenance systems, spare parts management, and equipment KPIs preferred.
• Familiarity with ERP/MES/CMMS systems for equipment maintenance and spare parts control preferred.

Physical/Working Requirements

• Must be able to wear personal protective gear most of the day (where applicable).
• Prolonged periods of sitting or standing.

Behavioral Traits

• Strong verbal and written communication skills to convey quality standards, expectations, and feedback clearly to team members and stakeholders.
• A willingness to adjust to changing circumstances, processes, or technologies for continuous improvement in dynamic environments.
• The ability to work well with others, fostering a cooperative atmosphere, driving data management initiatives, and engaging all levels of the organization.