Head of Epi Product Unit

Position Summary

The Head of Epi Product Unit serves as the senior technical and product leader responsible for the strategy, architecture, development, and commercialization of Eugenus' Epi products and solutions, with a particular focus on next-generation 3D DRAM multi-stack technologies.

This position is responsible for defining the technical direction and product architecture for the Epi Product Unit and leading products from concept and feasibility through prototype, customer evaluation, qualification, New Product Introduction (NPI), and High-Volume Manufacturing (HVM).

The Head of Epi Product Unit will serve as a recognized technical authority in epitaxy and semiconductor process equipment and will bring together the process, hardware, systems, applications, product marketing, manufacturing, and customer-facing capabilities necessary to successfully develop and commercialize new products.

The position will also serve as a trusted technical partner to key customers, identifying current and future technology requirements and translating customer needs into differentiated product and technology roadmaps.

Key Responsibilities

Technical & Strategic Leadership

• Serve as the senior technical authority for the Epi Product Unit, with particular expertise in epitaxy processes supporting next-generation DRAM and 3D DRAM multi-stack technology.
• Define and execute the Epi technology strategy and technical roadmap in alignment with company, customer, and market requirements.
• Provide technical leadership and direction across the complete product development lifecycle.
• Translate emerging semiconductor technology requirements into product architecture, equipment capabilities, and development priorities.
• Identify emerging technologies, competitive developments, and market trends that may affect the Company's Epi technology and product strategy.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers and other technical professionals across the organization.
• Identify opportunities for differentiated technology and intellectual property and work with appropriate Company resources to protect strategically important innovations.

Epi Product & Process Development

• Lead the development of next-generation Epi products and processes, including 3D DRAM multi-stack Epi products.
• Lead products from concept and feasibility through prototype, demonstration, customer evaluation, qualification, NPI, product release, and successful transition to HVM.
• Lead the design, optimization, characterization, and implementation of epitaxy processes for advanced semiconductor applications.
• Establish appropriate process performance requirements.
• Ensure that process development meets customer specifications, technology roadmap requirements, manufacturability objectives, and commercial product requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement of process capability and equipment performance.

Equipment & Systems Integration

• Lead the integration of process requirements with semiconductor equipment design and performance.
• Partner with engineering teams to optimize the relationship between process performance and equipment architecture.
• Provide technical leadership across relevant areas including:
  • Process chamber design
  • Gas delivery and process chemistry
  • Thermal management
  • Wafer handling
  • Vacuum systems
  • Controls and automation
  • Metrology and analytical techniques
  • Hardware/process interaction
  • Ensure equipment designs are capable of meeting performance, reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and HVM requirements.
• Support successful technology transfer from development into manufacturing and customer production environments.

Product Unit Strategy & Commercialization

• Develop and execute the Epi Product Unit strategy in alignment with Eugenus' overall business objectives.
• Establish annual product-unit objectives, technology priorities, and development plans.
• Develop and maintain the Epi product and technology roadmap in partnership with Product Marketing, Sales, Engineering, and executive leadership.
• Evaluate and prioritize new product opportunities based on customer requirements, market opportunity, technical feasibility, development investment, competitive differentiation, and potential financial return.
• Develop or contribute to business cases for new Epi products and major development programs.
• Provide input into product cost, COGS, pricing, margin, and commercial considerations in partnership with the appropriate functional organizations.
• Support commercialization, customer adoption, design wins, and revenue opportunities associated with Epi products.
• Manage the product lifecycle from early technology development through commercialization and ongoing product improvement.

Customer & Market Leadership

• Serve as a senior technical interface and trusted partner to key semiconductor customers.
• Develop a deep understanding of customer technology roadmaps, process requirements, technical challenges, and future manufacturing needs.
• Partner directly with customers to define product requirements and identify opportunities for new Epi products and applications.
• Translate customer requirements into actionable product and technology development priorities.
• Support customer evaluations, demonstrations, qualifications, technical reviews, and escalations.
• Partner with customers to integrate Eugenus products into their production environments and rapidly resolve technical issues.
• Maintain strong relationships with relevant industry partners, suppliers, research organizations, and other technology stakeholders.
• Represent Eugenus as a senior Epi technical leader in appropriate customer, industry, and technical forums.

Product Development & Program Execution

• Establish and manage development plans, schedules, milestones, resources, risks, and budgets for Epi product-development programs.
• Ensure timely execution of product-development milestones and customer commitments.
• Identify technical and execution risks early and establish appropriate mitigation plans.
• Lead cross-functional teams through product-development reviews, technical reviews, NPI, customer qualification, and production release.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, design controls, change management, and development processes are followed.
• Balance competing customer, product, and resource priorities in partnership with Engineering and Company leadership.
• Provide clear and timely status reporting to executive leadership regarding program progress, risks, resource requirements, and major decisions.

Organizational & Technical Leadership

• Identify the engineering capabilities and resources required to execute the Epi product and technology roadmap.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams through both direct and matrixed organizational structures.
• Effectively influence and drive results across Process Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, Applications, Product Marketing, Manufacturing, Sales, and other functions.
• Build the Epi organization and technical capabilities as business needs evolve.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain high-performing technical talent as the organization grows.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability, technical rigor, and execution discipline across Epi development activities.
• Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, technical documentation, and continuous improvement.

Decision Authority & Accountability

The Head of Epi Product Unit will have responsibility for:

• Establishing technical priorities for assigned Epi development programs.
• Recommending Epi technology and product roadmap priorities.
• Making technical decisions within approved development programs.
• Recommending development investments, resources, equipment, and technical capabilities.
• Recommending product-development continuation, modification, or termination based on technical and commercial results.
• Escalating significant technical, customer, schedule, resource, and business risks to executive leadership.

Primary Deliverables

• Competitive and executable Epi technology and product roadmaps.
• Successful development of next-generation Epi products, including 3D DRAM multi-stack solutions.
• Successful transition of products from concept through customer qualification and HVM.
• Products that meet defined customer, technical, reliability, manufacturability, and commercial requirements.
• Successful customer demonstrations, evaluations, and qualifications.
• Achievement of agreed product-development schedules and milestones.
• Identification and development of new applications and market opportunities for Eugenus Epi technology.
• Development of a scalable Epi technical organization and capability.

Key Performance Metrics

Performance will be evaluated using measures including:

• Achievement of agreed technology and product roadmap milestones.
• On-time completion of critical development and NPI milestones.
• Successful prototype and product demonstrations.
• Successful customer evaluations and qualifications.
• Achievement of defined process-performance specifications.
• Product readiness for HVM.
• Product reliability, repeatability, yield, throughput, and other applicable performance measures.
• Customer adoption and design wins.
• Successful execution against customer commitments.
• Development of differentiated technology and intellectual property.
• Product cost and margin improvement, where applicable.
• Development and effectiveness of the Epi technical organization.

Required Functional & Technical Knowledge

• Recognized expertise in epitaxy processes and semiconductor thin-film technology.
• Demonstrated track record of developing complex Epi processes and/or semiconductor capital equipment and successfully bringing technology into production.
• Deep understanding of semiconductor technology development, thin-film growth, characterization, and process integration.
• Strong knowledge of 300mm semiconductor capital equipment and semiconductor fab manufacturing requirements.
• Expertise in thin-film metrology, analytical techniques, experimental design, and statistical data analysis.
• Demonstrated experience with technology transfer of semiconductor manufacturing processes.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between semiconductor process performance and equipment/hardware design.
• Experience developing high-performance semiconductor equipment for HVM applications.
• Experience with relevant Epi modeling and simulation tools strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing customer-facing technical programs.
• Ability to translate customer technology requirements into product and engineering requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams and drive results through both direct authority and influence.
• Strong program-management capabilities, including development of schedules, milestones, risk-management plans, and resource requirements.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Fluent English and demonstrated effectiveness working across international and multicultural organizations.
  Leadership Competencies
  
  The successful candidate will demonstrate:
• Strategic and systems thinking.
• Strong technical judgment.
• Customer-focused mindset.
• High level of ownership and accountability.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and highly leveraged environment.
• Ability to influence and lead without direct organizational authority.
• Collaborative and team-oriented leadership.
• Commitment to meeting agreed deliverables and customer commitments.
• Proactive problem solving and sound decision-making.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and changing priorities.
• Ability to communicate complex technical matters effectively to technical, business, customer, and executive audiences.
• Commitment to developing others and building organizational capability.
• Education & Experience
• Ph.D. in Materials Science/Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or a closely related technical field with 12+ years of relevant industry experience; OR
• M.S. in one of the above or a closely related technical field with 15+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Ph.D. preferred.
• 10+ years of senior technical, engineering, product-development, or technology leadership experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience taking semiconductor process equipment and/or advanced semiconductor technology from development through customer qualification and HVM.
• Demonstrated experience in epitaxy technology and advanced semiconductor process development required.
• Prior semiconductor capital-equipment experience strongly preferred.
• Prior experience supporting leading-edge DRAM/memory customers strongly preferred.
• Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety Responsibilities
  
  Take accountability and responsibility for supporting employees and promoting a culture of continuous improvement within applicable Eugenus management systems, including:
• ISO 14001:2015 - Environmental Management: Support the Company's environmental responsibilities, compliance objectives, audits, communications, lifecycle considerations, and environmental improvement initiatives.
• ISO 45001:2018 - Occupational Health and Safety: Promote employee safety, reduction of workplace hazards, and a safe working environment.
• ISO 9001 - Quality Management System: Support effective quality-management practices that improve product consistency, customer satisfaction, productivity, operational performance, and continuous improvement.
• Role Requirements
• Primary engineering center is located in San Jose, California.
• Customers and business partners are located throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe.
• Flexibility to participate in customer and internal meetings outside normal business hours due to international time zones.
• International and domestic travel of approximately 10%.
• Ability to work effectively with shared engineering resources across multiple projects and priorities.
• Relocation assistance: Eligible

Salary

Compensation includes a competitive base salary and bonus, plus a sizeable equity stake in the Company.

The salary offered to the selected candidate will be based on several factors, including location and level, and will vary depending on confirmed job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation, including participation in a bonus and pre-public stock award program, as applicable.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Eugenus, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.