Director of Quality – Photonics Manufacturing - Santa Clara, CA, United States
Originally posted 28 September 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves leading the development and execution of the Quality Management System (QMS) for a growing photonics manufacturing organization.
What you'll do
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve the Quality Management System (QMS), including ISO 9001 compliance.
- Lead internal, customer, supplier, and certification audits, ensuring ongoing audit readiness.
- Drive customer quality programs utilizing CAPA, 8D, SPC, FMEA, root-cause analysis, and corrective action methodologies.
- Establish supplier quality processes, including Supplier Site Quality Assessments (SSQA) and supplier development programs.
- Partner with Manufacturing, Process Engineering, Integration Engineering, and Operations teams to improve yield, reliability, and overall product quality.
- Lead quality strategy, governance, metrics, and reporting across multiple sites and global operations.
What you'll need
- 10+ years of experience in semiconductor or photonics manufacturing environments, with experience spanning Process Engineering, Integration Engineering, Manufacturing, and/or Quality Systems.
- Proven track record of establishing and scaling Quality Management Systems in manufacturing organizations.
- Deep expertise in ISO 9001 implementation and quality compliance programs.
- Strong experience with CAPA, 8D, SPC, and FMEA.
- Strong experience with Customer Quality Management.
- Strong experience with Supplier Quality and SSQA.
- Experience leading quality organizations across multiple sites, regions, or global operations.
Nice to have
- Experience in a photonics fab or advanced semiconductor manufacturing environment.
- Knowledge of fab quality systems, customer quality audits, and ISO certification audits.
- Familiarity with metrology and analytical techniques such as ICP-MS and related manufacturing process controls.
Skills: Quality Management System, photonics manufacturing, ISO 9001, CAPA, SPC
This role has been open 12 days — well below the 52-day median for Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering roles.
Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
2432
|
Median days open
52 d
|
Median salary
$100k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Applied Materials | All employers we track in this specialty (2432 roles · 77 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 229 | 2432 |
| Open roles in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family | 1088 | 9739 · 108 employers |
| Median days open | 38 d | 52 d (−14 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $100k |
Skills observed across this category: Quality Management System, photonics manufacturing, ISO 9001, CAPA, SPC
Who's hiring in this category
- Micron Technology · 385 open roles · median 81 d
- Entegris · 244 open roles · median 30 d
- Applied Materials (this employer) · 231 open roles · median 38 d
- Lam Research · 105 open roles · median 53 d
- Infineon Technologies · 90 open roles · median 51 d
- ASML · 75 open roles · median 70 d
How we counted: 2432 open Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 77 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 10 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Process, Fab & Equipment family row. Figures refresh nightly.