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, visitwww.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.

• 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.

• 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