Site Lead, Operations

Job Title: Site Lead, Operations

Department: Operations Reports To: VP of Operations Job Type: Full Time, Exempt Location: Concord, CA

At EMCORE, we're committed to attracting and nurturing diverse, high-performing talent who are passionate about their work. Our employees share a common purpose-supporting our customers' missions while pursuing their own professional growth. We foster an inclusive and engaging workplace culture where innovation, collaboration, and work-life balance thrive. Core to our values is a steadfast commitment to excellence, community engagement, and integrity in everything we do.

About EMCORE

EMCORE LLC is a leading independent provider of advanced inertial navigation solutions for the aerospace, defense, commercial, and industrial sectors. As pioneers in fiber optic gyros, ring laser gyros, and MEMS technologies, we drive innovation across a wide range of navigation applications.

Position Summary:

The Operations Site Lead is responsible for end-to-end leadership of manufacturing operations for a quartz MEMS (QMEMS) production facility. This role oversees production, process engineering, quality, supply chain coordination, and facility operations to ensure delivery of high-reliability inertial sensing products. The ideal candidate will drive operational excellence, maintain compliance with aerospace and defense quality standards, and scale production in a precision cleanroom environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations & Production Leadership

• Lead daily manufacturing operations including wafer processing, device assembly, packaging, scheduling, and final test.
• Drive production output, yield improvement, and cycle time reduction across all value streams.
• Implement and monitor KPIs (Yield, Throughput, OTD).
• Develop and execute production plans aligned with customer demand and business objectives.

Process & Continuous Improvement

• Champion Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements in QMEMS fabrication and assembly.
• Partner with engineering teams to transition new products (NPI) into stable production.

Quality & Compliance (AS9100)

• Ensure full compliance with AS9100 and customer-specific requirements.
• Oversee quality systems including CAPA, nonconformance management, and root cause analysis.
• Maintain audit readiness (internal, customer, and regulatory audits).
• Drive a culture of zero defects and high-reliability product delivery.

Supply Chain & Planning

• Collaborate with supply chain to ensure material availability, supplier quality, and inventory control.
• Support sourcing strategies for critical QMEMS materials (e.g., quartz substrates, wafers, electronics).
• Balance production schedules with demand variability and long-lead components.

Facilities & Cleanroom Operations

• Oversee cleanroom operations, ensuring compliance with environmental and ESD controls.
• Maintain uptime of critical equipment (etching, deposition, bonding, test systems).
• Partner with facilities to ensure proper maintenance of HVAC, utilities, and safety systems.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop cross-functional teams (production, engineering, quality, maintenance).
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Support hiring, training, and workforce planning to meet growth objectives.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, including leadership roles.
• Experience in QMEMS, semiconductor, or precision electronics manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of AS9100 or similar quality management systems.
• Demonstrated success in scaling production and improving yield in complex processes.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with quartz-based MEMS or inertial sensor products (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers).
• Familiarity with cleanroom environments (ISO Class 5–8).
• Lean Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt).
• Experience with Syteline systems and production planning tools.

This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that an employee in this position may be asked to perform from time to time. EMCORE reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises

Compensation:

This position offers a salary range of $140,000 - $175,000 annually, depending on the candidate's experience, skill set, and overall qualifications.

Benefits:

EMCORE LLC offers a variety of benefits including health and disability insurance, 401k company match, FSA account, Employee Assistance Program, education assistance, parental leave, PTO, and paid company holidays.

*As a federal contractor, we are required to have all candidates offered employment to pass a criminal background check prior to starting employment.

*ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

Separate from employment eligibility (Form I-9), U.S. export license requirements may apply before the Company can provide certain non- "U.S. persons" with access to specific technology, software and hardware that may be necessary for a position. As such, this position may require ITAR or EAR clearance.

EMCORE LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or veteran status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Emcore LLC is a Federal Contractor and requires any candidate offered employment to submit to a background check when a job offer is accepted.