Engineering Director

Founded in 2020, Zadient is an innovator in advanced materials, including silicon carbide (SiC) for semiconductor applications. It is headquartered in Sainte-Hélène-du-Lac, near Chambéry, France, where it develops its new crystal growth technologies. It also has a wholly owned subsidiary, Zadient Materials Europe GmbH, headquartered in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, near Leipzig, Germany, where it produces high-purity SiC source material via the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. For more information, visit www.zadient.com.

Purpose of the job

For the crystal growth entity, the Engineering Director is the decision-making authority on major industrial orientations and technical arbitrations, in support of the company's strategic and operational objectives.

He/she leads the successful delivery of the projects required to create and scale the company's manufacturing capabilities. He/she ensures that facilities, equipment, and industrial systems - including crystal growth furnaces, ingot and wafer fabrication, cleaning and characterization equipment- are designed, implemented, and commissioned safely, on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards, supporting the company's industrial growth and long-term operational performance.

Direct hierarchical management of the Engineering department (Equipment, Process & Methods, and Facilities depending on experience).

1. Key Responsibilities and Activities

Engineering & Industrial Project Leadership

• Define and execute the engineering and industrial project roadmap in line with the company's strategic objectives.
• Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of capital projects, ensuring quality, budget, and schedule commitments are met.
• Own and control Zadient's global CAPEX budget, from planning and allocation to execution follow-up, ensuring investments are prioritized and delivered in line with business objectives
• Implement best practices in project management, engineering governance, and risk management.

Engineering Excellence serving Industrialization & Manufacturing Readiness

• Lead the transition of new technologies, process and equipments from development to stable, scalable production.
• Act as decision-maker on major industrial orientations, arbitrating trade-offs and technical choices to secure the performance and reliability of Zadient's industrial operations.
• Oversee the design, installation, commissioning, qualification, and handover of manufacturing equipment, facilities, and infrastructure.
• Ensure manufacturing systems and processes are ready to support product qualification, production ramp-up, and future capacity expansion.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable safety, environmental, regulatory, and quality standards.

Cross-functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with R&D, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, HSE, IT, and Finance to ensure successful project execution.
• Manage relationships with engineering contractors, equipment suppliers, and external partners to deliver projects efficiently and to the required technical standards.
• Support technology transfer and ensure engineering solutions meet operational and business needs.

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing engineering and industrial projects team (scope : Equipments, Method, Process; Facilities to be discussed). Anticipate the sizing of the teams, ensuring the organization has the right resources, at the right time, to support its growth.
• Set clear objectives, coach and mentor team members, and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.

Requirements

• Higher education degree in engineering, industrial management or an equivalent discipline.

• Minimum of 5 years' proven experience in a Director of Engineering, Industrial Projects Director or equivalent senior technical/industrial role (ex: program management), ideally within semiconductor industry, or an industry with controlled environment (clean rooms).
• Strong track record in managing large-scale CAPEX budgets and Engineering industrial projects, from investment planning to execution.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Strong analytical skills, decision-making and arbitration ability on complex industrial and technical topics, taking the strategic industrial milestones into account (challenge technical expertise to enable decision making).
• Very solid leader with excellent organizational and managerial competencies. Experience in recruiting and building teams (internal/external).
• Professional French and English languages.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling effective and adapted interaction with Executive Management, operational teams and external partners.
• Start-up mindset, enjoying an environment that values initiative, discipline in execution, teamwork, and inventiveness.

Benefits

• Attractive salary and bonus depending on profile and experience
• Opportunity to work on the next generation of SiC crystal growth and wafer manufacturing equipment in an agile and innovation-driven environment
• Exposure to the full vertical process chain, from crystal growth to wafer finishing and metrology
• Opportunity to shape key process-equipment capabilities at an early stage of industrial development
• A dynamic, interdisciplinary work environment within an international team
• Early involvement in an exciting project, with strong growth potential as the company scales
• A work environment that values autonomy, encourages entrepreneurial thinking, and empowers you to take full ownership of your projects