Senior Director - Microelectronics Engineering

At Aquatech, we tackle the challenges of water scarcity and complexity by leveraging technology, expertise, and financing to deliver comprehensive solutions that reduce carbon and recycled water footprint. As a leading global provider of water and process technology solutions, we help the world's most recognized companies achieve their sustainability and operational goals by implementing innovative approaches for water reuse, desalination, minimal and zero liquid discharge, and critical minerals recovery. Our work catalyzes the transition toward a more sustainable future and showcases our commitment to addressing water's role in climate adaptation. Learn more at www.aquatech.com.

Aquatech supports some of the world's most technically demanding industries including semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, solar manufacturing, and data centers. These facilities require highly reliable utility infrastructure including Ultra Pure Water (UPW), wastewater treatment (WWT), reclaim systems, thermal utility systems, chemical systems, and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems.

Position Summary/Mission

The Senior Director of Microelectronics Engineering is responsible for leading Aquatech's global Microelectronics Engineering organization and establishing a world-class engineering culture focused on technical excellence, standardization, innovation, and execution discipline. This role provides strategic leadership across Ultra Pure Water (UPW), Wastewater Treatment (WWT), Water Reclaim, and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) engineering while developing the engineering standards, technologies, tools, and organizational capabilities necessary to support the rapid growth of Aquatech's Microelectronics business.

As the senior technical leader and trusted advisor to the Vice President of Microelectronics, the Senior Director is responsible for shaping the organization's engineering strategy, culture, and long-term technical direction. Success in this role is measured not only by the quality of engineering solutions delivered today, but by building the people, systems, standards, and processes that enable scalable, repeatable, and predictable execution for the future.

The Senior Director is expected to foster a culture of technical rigor, accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and innovation while developing a high-performing engineering organization recognized for delivering world-class semiconductor water and wastewater solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Engineering Leadership
• Lead the global Microelectronics Engineering organization.
• Develop engineering strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Build a high-performing engineering culture focused on accountability, technical rigor, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the primary technical advisor to the Vice President of Microelectronics.
• Establish organizational priorities that balance customer commitments, technical excellence, and long-term capability development.
• Mentor engineering leaders and develop succession plans for critical technical roles.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical leadership for complex semiconductor water treatment projects.
• Guide engineering teams through technically challenging treatment scenarios and novel applications.
• Lead multidisciplinary technical reviews to reduce project risk and improve solution confidence.
• Support project teams in developing practical, executable engineering solutions that meet customer expectations while minimizing cost and schedule risk.

Engineering Standardization

• Develop and maintain global engineering standards.
• Standardize: Process Flow Diagrams, P&IDs, Design Basis documents, Equipment selection, Design calculations, Standard specifications, Fabrication standards, Procurement standards, Cost databases, Commissioning BKM's

Technology Development

• Identify emerging treatment technologies, establish a qualification process, incorporate into standard basis of design

Engineering Excellence

• Improve engineering quality.
• Identify areas for improvement with solutions for procurement, fabrication, design, commissioning, and precontract engineering.
• Develop engineering KPIs.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across engineering operations.

Qualifications

• Required:

• BS in Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, Environmental Engineering or related field

• 20+ years of progressively responsible engineering leadership experience

• 10+ years leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations

• Extensive experience supporting semiconductor utility infrastructure

• Demonstrated expertise in: Ultra Pure Water, Wastewater Treatment, Water Reclaim, ZLD

• Experience developing engineering organizations

• Experience implementing engineering standards

• Experience leading organizational transformation

• Experience mentoring senior engineering professionals

• Preferred:

• PE registration

• MBA or Master's degree

• Global engineering leadership experience

• EPC experience

• Semiconductor owner/operator experience

• Startup and commissioning experience

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Exceptional integrity and professionalism.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills capable of influencing executives, customers, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong organizational discipline with an unwavering commitment to engineering rigor and execution excellence.
• A systems-thinking mindset that balances strategic vision with practical implementation.
• Proven ability to lead organizations through ambiguity, rapid growth, and complex technical challenges.
• A passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing future engineering leaders.
• High personal accountability with a results-oriented approach to achieving commitments.
• The confidence to make difficult decisions while fostering collaboration and trust.
• Curiosity and a continuous learning mindset that embraces innovation while maintaining disciplined risk management.
• A bias toward standardization, simplification, and continuous improvement.