Sr. Director, Engineering

Company: Mattson Technology, Inc., a 38-year Silicon Valley company, designs, manufactures, markets, and globally supports plasma and rapid thermal processing equipment to fabricate integrated circuits for the global semiconductor industry.

Mattson Technology, Inc. offers processing equipment that utilizes innovative technologies to deliver advanced processing capabilities and high productivity for the fabrication of current and next-generation integrated circuits. Our equipment and technologies are used by leading memory and logic, analog /power device manufacturers worldwide. Innovations from Mattson Technology in Atomic Surface Engineering address the most critical logic and memory manufacturing challenges.

In May 2016, Mattson Technology was acquired by Beijing’s E-Town Capital. Our new investor’s vision is that Mattson Technology, with its Silicon Valley DNA, will continue to operate as a global, market-driven technology provider serving worldwide semiconductor manufacturing customers. In July, 2025, the company successfully listed in Shanghai’s STAR Exchange. As the external trade compliance environment evolves, Mattson Technology now operates independently from the parent company in product, business, and operations, serving customers outside of China.

Job Summary

The Senior Director, Engineering is a senior executive responsible for leading the organization's engineering strategy, product development, technology execution, and engineering operations. This role provides strategic and operational leadership across multiple engineering disciplines, ensuring the successful development, delivery, and support of innovative products, technologies, and systems that align with business objectives and customer requirements.

The Senior Director, Engineering partners closely with executive leadership, product management, operations, sales, customer technology, quality, and supply chain teams to define technology roadmaps, drive engineering excellence, accelerate innovation, and support sustainable business growth.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Strategy & Leadership

Develop and execute the overall engineering vision, strategy, and technology roadmap.

Align engineering priorities with business goals, customer needs, and market opportunities.

Lead multiple engineering organizations and functional teams.

Drive innovation and technical excellence across all engineering disciplines.

Support corporate growth initiatives, acquisitions, and technology expansion strategies.

Product Development & Technology Leadership

Oversee the development and commercialization of new products, systems, and technologies.

Ensure timely execution of product development programs from concept through production release.

Drive New Product Introduction (NPI) efforts and technology deployment strategies.

Balance performance, quality, cost, manufacturability, and time-to-market objectives.

Establish engineering standards, methodologies, and best practices.

Organizational Leadership

Build, lead, and develop high-performing engineering teams.

Establish organizational goals, performance metrics, and development plans.

Mentor engineering directors, managers, and senior technical leaders.

Lead succession planning and talent development initiatives.

Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with Product Management to define product strategies and technology roadmaps.

Collaborate with Operations and Manufacturing to support product launches and operational readiness.

Work with Quality organizations to ensure product compliance and reliability.

Support Sales, Customer Technology, and Service organizations on customer requirements and escalations.

Coordinate engineering resources across multiple business initiatives.

Engineering Operations Management

Oversee engineering budgets, resource allocation, and capital planning.

Monitor engineering project execution, schedules, risks, and deliverables.

Establish engineering KPIs and performance measurement systems.

Ensure effective utilization of engineering resources.

Drive operational excellence and organizational scalability.

Technology & Innovation

Identify emerging technologies and industry trends that create competitive advantage.

Lead advanced technology development and innovation programs.

Promote intellectual property generation, including patents and proprietary technologies.

Support research and development investments and technology partnerships.

Champion digital transformation and engineering modernization initiatives.

Technical Governance & Risk Management

Ensure engineering designs meet customer, regulatory, quality, and safety requirements.

Oversee design reviews, technical assessments, and risk management activities.

Support reliability, compliance, cybersecurity, and safety engineering programs where applicable.

Establish governance processes for engineering execution and design control.

Drive proactive identification and mitigation of technical risks.

Customer & Business Engagement

Participate in executive customer meetings, technical reviews, and strategic account discussions.

Support business development efforts requiring executive engineering leadership.

Serve as a technical representative for major customers, partners, and industry organizations.

Support resolution of critical customer escalations and product issues.

Align engineering capabilities with customer expectations and market requirements.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

Drive engineering quality initiatives and product reliability improvements.

Support Lean, Six Sigma, Design for Manufacturing (DFM), and Design for Reliability (DFR) programs.

Improve engineering development processes and tools.

Promote data-driven decision-making and performance optimization.

Lead lessons learned and continuous improvement initiatives.

Executive Reporting

Provide regular updates to executive leadership regarding engineering performance, technology initiatives, and product development status.

Present engineering strategies, budgets, risks, and investment recommendations.

Support Board presentations and strategic planning activities.

Develop executive dashboards and performance metrics.

Ensure alignment between engineering execution and corporate objectives.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or related technical discipline.

Typically 15+ years of progressive engineering experience.

Minimum 8+ years of leadership experience managing engineering organizations.

Demonstrated success leading complex product development and technology programs.

Strong understanding of engineering processes, product development lifecycles, and technology commercialization.

Experience managing engineering budgets, resources, and strategic initiatives.

Exceptional leadership, business acumen, and communication skills.