Head of Infrastructure

Role Overview

The Head, Infrastructure is a senior operational leadership role responsible for the day-to-day excellence, physical setup, and long-term sustenance of world-class semiconductor facilities within the TRYST ecosystem. This role oversees the integration and operation of the IIT Bombay’s Nanofabrication Facility (IITBNF).

The ideal candidate is a deeply hands-on operator — someone who thrives in the complexity of running a multi-user cleanroom environment, builds trust with vendors, researchers, and government stakeholders through exceptional interpersonal skills, and drives facility performance through disciplined execution rather than broad strategic vision. This is a role for a doer who leads from the front.

Why This Role Matters

India’s semiconductor ambition rests on facilities like ours. TRYST sits at the intersection of academic research, national policy, and industrial capability building. The Head, Infrastructure is the person who makes this real — ensuring cleanrooms are operational, equipment is uptime-ready, researchers have access, and the facility meets global benchmarks. Without exceptional operational leadership, the mission stalls.

Key Responsibilities

A. Facility Operations & Operational Excellence

• Own end-to-end operations of Class 100/1000 cleanroom environments, ensuring maximum uptime, safety compliance, and researcher access.
• Establish and continuously refine robust operational systems: biometric access controls, automated slot-booking (FOM-equivalent), preventive maintenance schedules, and equipment usage tracking.
• Monitor and manage critical utilities — HVAC, DI water systems, specialty gas delivery, vibration isolation — ensuring zero unplanned downtime.
• Drive a culture of operational discipline across the facility team, with clear SOPs, audit trails, and performance dashboards.

B. Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with global equipment vendors (Applied Materials, Synopsys, Micron etc.) for AMC negotiations, spare parts prioritization, and service escalations.
• Serve as the primary negotiator for all vendor contracts, ensuring cost-effective, performance-backed agreements.
• Engage effectively with government bodies (MeitY, DST), institutional partners (IIT Bombay), and industry collaborators (Synopsys, Micron) to sustain and expand facility funding and capabilities.
• Represent TRYST in national networks such as INUP, benchmarking facility performance against CeNSE (IISc) and other top-tier institutions.

C. Facility Setup & Integration

• Lead the physical setup and commissioning of the Semiconductor Education Center (SEC, ~12,000 sq. ft.) in line with the MeitY-approved Detailed Project Report (DPR).
• Integrate SEC capabilities with existing IITBNF assets and the Advanced Packaging Lab to create a seamless, multi-purpose fabrication ecosystem.
• Execute equipment procurement and installation with precision — managing timelines, vendor coordination, and compliance with EHS standards for hazardous materials.

D. Team Building & Leadership

• Hire, onboard, and develop a high-performing infrastructure team — facility engineers, process technicians, and facility managers.
• Establish a clear performance evaluation framework and “infrastructure management ladder” to drive professional growth and retention.
• Transition existing team members effectively, raising the bar on service quality and technical competence.

E. Funding & Sustenance

• Develop and execute sustenance plans by pursuing government grants and establishing industry-sponsored lab models.
• Support financial planning for facility operations — user-fee structures, cost recovery models, and budget tracking for equipment AMCs and utilities.

Qualifications

• PhD or M.Tech in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related semiconductor discipline.
• 18+ years of hands-on experience managing large-scale semiconductor fabrication facilities, cleanrooms, or equivalent high-tech R&D infrastructure.
• Deep technical expertise in semiconductor unit processes: lithography, etching, deposition, and metrology.
• Demonstrated track record in vendor negotiations, AMC management, and EHS compliance for nanofabrication environments.
• Prior experience in multi-user facility management (academic or industrial) with exposure to INUP, CeNSE, IITBNF, or similar ecosystems is strongly preferred.