Process Engineering Supervisor

Process Engineering Team Leader – Deposition & Etch

Location: UK, Suffolk - onsite working required

Salary: Competitive, depending on experience

We’re working with a leading technology organisation that is expanding its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and is looking for an experienced Team Leader with a strong background in deposition and etch .

This is a hands-on leadership position where you’ll combine technical process engineering expertise with people management , taking ownership of a specialist team working across advanced III-V semiconductor manufacturing.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring processes are stable, capable and continually improving, while developing the engineers and technicians around you. It’s a great opportunity for someone who has built a strong technical career in a semiconductor fab and is now looking to take greater ownership of a team, technology area and longer-term roadmap.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Lead and develop a team of process engineers, technicians and cleanroom personnel working across deposition and etch.
• Provide technical direction across process development, optimisation and troubleshooting.
• Take ownership of process performance, stability, yield and continuous improvement within your area.
• Develop and optimise processes for III-V semiconductor materials , including InP, GaAs and GaN.
• Work with technologies such as RIE, ICP-RIE, PECVD and ALD .
• Drive recipe development, process qualification and technology transfer from development through to manufacturing.
• Support the introduction, installation and qualification of new semiconductor processing equipment.
• Use SEM and FIB-SEM to investigate defects, cross-sections and process performance.
• Lead investigations into process excursions, yield issues and reliability problems.
• Apply DoE, SPC, MSA / Gauge R&R and statistical analysis to improve process capability and robustness.
• Use structured problem-solving techniques including 8D, FMEA and OCAP to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Build technical capability within the team through training, mentoring and development plans.
• Establish team KPIs and ensure projects and engineering activities remain aligned with wider business objectives.
• Work closely with R&D, process integration, manufacturing, equipment and quality teams to deliver new technologies and improve existing processes.
• Contribute to the longer-term technology roadmap for deposition and etch.

What We're Looking For:

• A degree, Master's or PhD in Materials Science, Physics, Semiconductor Technology, Engineering or a related subject.
• 5+ years' semiconductor process engineering experience within a cleanroom/fab environment.
• Strong hands-on experience with III-V semiconductor processing , ideally InP, GaAs and/or GaN.
• A solid technical background in deposition and/or etch , with experience across technologies such as RIE, ICP-RIE, PECVD or ALD.
• Experience with process development, recipe optimisation and equipment qualification .
• Practical experience using SEM and/or FIB-SEM for process characterisation and failure analysis.
• Good understanding of SPC, DoE, MSA / Gauge R&R and data-driven process improvement.
• Experience with structured problem-solving and quality methodologies such as 8D, FMEA and OCAP .
• Previous experience leading, supervising or mentoring engineers/technicians — ideally 3+ years.