Director of Packaging

Director of Packaging

Team – Research and Development

Location – Cambridge, UK

Contract – Permanent

About CGD

Making Sustainable Power Electronics Possible

A spin-out of the Cambridge University, Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is a fabless semiconductor company that develops a range of energy-efficient GaN-based power devices to make greener electronics possible.

The global power semiconductor market is expected to exceed $50BN. In addition to the multi-million seed fund and Series A and now B private investments, CGD has so far successfully secured four projects funded by iUK, BEIS and EU (Penta). The technical and commercial expertise of the CGD team combined with an extensive track record in the power electronics market has been fundamental in early market traction of our proprietary technology.

Bringing Innovation into Everyday Life

The environmental need for solutions to resolve the world’s most significant challenges (energy consumption and CO2 emissions) inspires us to contribute to society by preserving nature with energy-efficient power solutions.

With a mindset on pushing the limits of semiconductor (GaN) properties and an outstanding team of worldwide experts leveraging knowledge, IP, and decades of research, we demonstrate technological advancement by developing green solutions for everyday electronics, respecting our planet’s natural resources, and creating a more sustainable future for the generations to come.

Why Work for CGD

We Champion Commitment, Celebrate Empowerment, and Reward the Brave.

We are interested in change-makers with a passion for power semiconductors who are willing to explore unconventional ways to meet the company’s green agenda.

At CGD, we pride ourselves on putting empowerment and commitment at the core of our company culture. We offer a relaxed yet productive working environment where everybody is valued and respected and becomes part of commercial success while experiencing professional growth.

If your heart beats for innovation, challenge, and growth, and if the prospect of joining a friendly and game-changing company is for you, we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity

CGD is looking for a Director of Packaging to join our growing engineering team. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Research and Development, this is an exciting opportunity to join CGD at an early stage and help drive the development of innovative packaging solutions for CGD’s GaN power products.

As a senior leader, the Director of Packaging will lead and develop the function, building future capability and creating an environment in which people can perform at their best. They will role-model CGD's values and leadership behaviours, creating clarity, accountability and trust while encouraging challenge, collaboration and innovation. The successful candidate will be expected to shape direction, lead through others and influence the wider organisation, not simply deliver through their own area of expertise.

This is a Grade 7 leadership role with significant responsibility for the direction, performance and development of the function. The role carries a high degree of autonomy and judgement, and the successful candidate will be comfortable making complex decisions, balancing competing priorities and taking accountability for outcomes where there may not be a clear or established path. They will be expected to anticipate future challenges, identify opportunities and influence stakeholders across different functions, disciplines and locations.

The role will be accountable for translating company strategy into clear functional priorities and ensuring that the team has the capability, focus and resources required to deliver. The Director will work collaboratively with the Executive team, contributing their expertise and perspective to wider business decisions and helping to shape the future direction of CGD.

The current packaging team at CGD is expanding and requires an experienced leader to shape the future direction of advanced and innovative packaging technologies for high-speed GaN power semiconductors. Although this is a senior leadership position, it is also very much a hands-on technical role.

The role is based at the company’s office in Cambridge, UK, with some international travel to subcontractors expected.

Main Responsibilities

• Leading the design and technical development of high performance and high-density semiconductor packaging solutions for CGD GaN power products

• Working closely with both internal (e.g. GaN chip design team, Application Engineering team, Operations team) and external (e.g. packaging partners) stakeholders, in the UK and overseas
• Designing wirebond, flip chip and embedded semiconductor packages, including wafer back-end process modifications, to meet the product goals in terms of form factor, cost, quality, electrical and thermal performance
• Support module developments, either internally or with customers
• Supporting semiconductor packaging verification and qualification tests, including driving the package related performance tests such as board level reliability, thermal characterisation etc
• Surveying global suppliers for suitable packaging technologies in support of CGD product and technology roadmaps
• Driving package technology developments with suppliers to differentiate CGD products
• Conducting multiphysics simulations (finite element modelling) to analyse package and system level thermal performance, parasitic extraction, current spreading, electromagnetic fields and thermo-mechanical stress of CGD’s GaN power packages
• Contributing to the development and enhancements of the design process, tools and methodologies to streamline the design flow for right first-time solutions
• Build professional networks to keep up to date with state-of-the-art packaging and process development in both industry and academia
• Conducting first article inspection and failure analysis in the labs in Cambridge as well as with external partners
• Supporting the Applications Engineering team and customers by providing packaging related resources such as package outline drawings, thermal models, PCB footprints, application notes and technical support
• Providing a significant contribution to the CGD product and technology roadmap development

Skills and Experience

Suitable candidates for the Director of Packaging role will have a background in designing and developing packages and modules for semiconductor applications. Experience in power related products and/or designing for GaN products would be advantageous.

Essential

• A Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, Material Sciences or related subject
• Demonstrable experience in the design and manufacture of high-volume semiconductor power packaging including selecting and working with overseas assembly houses
• In depth knowledge of power semiconductor packaging technologies and selection, such as die-attach, Ag-sintering, flip-chip, wire bonding, copper clip, PCB embedding and chip metallisation.
• In depth experience of producing designs according to supplier design rules and design for manufacture guidelines with a modern 3D CAD tool (e.g. Solidworks, Fusion360, AutoCAD or similar)
• Solid experience with 3D Multiphysics Simulation (e.g. COMSOL, ANSYS or similar) for thermal, electrical and stress analysis by finite element modelling
• A solid understanding and/or experience with the thermal characterisation of semiconductor packages
• Good experience with semiconductor packaging related product qualification tests such as TCoB, MSL, TC, HAST and HTS according to standards such as JEDEC, IPC, MIL, AEC-Q100.
• Adept at working and driving activities in cross-functional teams within the company and with external partners, including overseas teams
• Strong problem-solving skills and the selection and use of appropriate methods such as 8D, DOE, Fishbone diagrams etc
• Ability to take responsibility for managing their own tasks and deliver results on time
• Used to preparing, presenting and reporting results and ideas to team members, external partners and other stakeholders

Desirable

• Track record of designing and simulating semiconductor packaging for voltages larger than 100 V, ideally for GaN power devices.
• Experience in designing and simulating power semiconductor modules at voltages of 600V and upwards for high power applications. Specific focus on optimisation and simulation of low inductance structures.
• Experience of high voltage power module qualification tests including power and thermal cycling as well as isolation tests including partial discharge.
• Experience of embedded high voltage power packaging with manufacturing at panel level (PLP).
• Experience with electromagnetic finite element modelling.
• Experience of design and qualification to automotive standards.
• Experience in the selection and analysis of test methods for semiconductor packaging such as CSAM, X-Ray, shear tests, CT, EDX, EMMI.
• Formal project management training and experience including use of JIRA for task management and issue tracking
• Experience with managing public-funded collaborative projects

• Excellent salary
• Share options scheme available (so you own a piece of the company!)
• Pension scheme (6% Company contribution)
• Life Assurance (4x Salary)
• BUPA Private Medical Insurance
• Medicash cash plan
• Annual leave allowance of 33 days (including bank holidays)
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Training and career development
• Family friendly policies
• Cycle to work scheme
• EV leasing scheme
• Volunteer leave
• IP bonus scheme
• Involvement in collaborative projects and grants with University of Cambridge and other partners
• Recruitment referral bonus
• Regular social events including frequent company lunches, Christmas party, team building and wellbeing activities

We believe in equal opportunities

It takes a diverse and inclusive community of passionate, talented and committed people to build a system to shape the future of power electronics.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all current and prospective employees regardless of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

We believe that a more inclusive workplace, where people of different backgrounds work together, ensures better outcomes for all employees. We aspire to have a diverse workforce because, in our view, diversity enables better business outcomes. From application to interview, we place inclusion at the heart of all we do.

Studies have shown that women tend to apply to jobs if they meet all, or almost all, of the requirements whereas men apply even if they meet only some of the requirements. If that sounds like you then please apply and we’ll provide feedback.

We are well set up for collaborative hybrid working, with some members of the team working in the UK office and some from home in the UK and other cities in Europe and Asia.