Contract Manufacturing Manager

Job Overview

The Contract Manufacturing Manager is responsible for leading the strategy, execution, and performance management of global contract manufacturing partners to ensure reliable, cost-effective, and high-quality production. This role focuses on establishing and scaling production at new manufacturing sites while optimizing existing partner operations to drive improvements in quality, yield, cost, delivery, and customer satisfaction. The position serves as the primary interface between internal cross-functional teams and external manufacturing partners, ensuring alignment to business objectives and demand requirements. Success in this role requires strong leadership, supplier management, and operational expertise to deliver sustainable growth and best-in-class manufacturing performance.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for management of multiple outsourced LED contract manufacturing chip and packaging partners.
• Work with a cross-functional contract manufacturing team to create a unified product performance monitoring process across multiple contract manufacturer sites.
• Oversee product transfers and site qualifications ensuring performance targets are met.
• Manage supplier performance through KPIs, scorecards, and reviews.
• Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead cross-functional alignment between internal teams and external partners.
• Develop and execute process and product improvement projects to push the performance-cost roadmaps.
• Work with planning and procurement to align demand and factory capabilities.
• Own supplier quality and customer satisfaction outcomes.
• Drive data-based decision-making using manufacturing analytics.
• Ensure change management and qualification processes are documented.
• Coordinate equipment readiness and production ramp-up.
• Establish monitoring and escalation processes.
• Communicate performance, risks, and status to leadership.
• Work closely with quality on Supplier and Customer CAPA.
• Travel to global manufacturing sites as needed - 20%

Preferred Candidates

• BS in Engineering.
• Experience with semiconductor wafer fabrication and packaging processes.
• Strong analytical background with understanding of core statistical techniques.
• Ability to interface with people of different backgrounds and at every level of the organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong drive to produce results in a timely fashion and have strong sense of competitive urgency.
• Be willing and able to travel internationally.
• Experience with off-site factory support
• Ability to multitask effectively.
• Chip to component manufacturing experience
• Component to board / SMT experience
• 5+ years recent experience as a Product/Process/Quality Engineer in a semiconductor environment
• Strong track record of effective problem-solving, good engineering judgment and decision-making skills
• Strong self-motivation and project management experience.
• MS or Ph.D. in Electrical, Chemical, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience with SQL, JMP, MS Access, etc.
• Experience at identifying patterns and defect clusters in manufacturing data.
• Experience at failure analysis and understanding of typical failure analysis techniques (SEM, EDS, FIB, Auger, etc.)

About Us

Cree LED, a Penguin Solutions brand, offers one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of application-optimized LED chips and components, leading the industry in performance and reliability. With more than 35 years of innovation, our strong IP portfolio and unique business model ensures supply chain continuity. We deliver best-in-class technology and breakthrough solutions for focused applications in high power and mid-power general lighting, horticulture, specialty lighting and video screens. For more information, visit cree-led.com.