Quality Assurance Manager

Job Description:

As Axiro's Quality Assurance Manager, you will lead the company's quality and reliability strategy, ensuring our RFIC and mixed-signal products exceed industry benchmarks. You will architect and continuously improve the Quality Management System (QMS), manage supplier and customer quality programs, and provide cross-functional leadership across design, test, and operations teams to uphold our zero-defect culture.

You will own product and package qualification plans and reporting, lead root cause analysis, and drive timely, data-driven corrective actions across the supply chain. In this role, you will also guide quality strategies for new process introductions at outsourced manufacturing partners, support smooth production ramps, and create feedback loops to drive upstream process improvement. Additionally, you will mentor junior quality engineers and provide strategic input on quality-focused initiatives to ensure robust product release and operational scalability.

Primary Responsibilities:

Quality Assurance Leadership:

• Own and execute all quality assurance activities across the product lifecycle from new product introduction (NPI) through volume ramp, sustaining production, and product EOL.
• Drive qualification strategy including HTOL, HAST, TC, and ESD/EMC based on JEDEC, AEC-Q100 and customer-specific standards.
• Lead internal audits, MRB, Change Board reviews, and quality gate approvals in the PLM system.

Quality Management System (QMS):

• Develop and maintain ISO 9001-compliant QMS tailored to fabless semiconductor operations.
• Lead documentation and process mapping, CAPA implementation, and internal training programs to ensure cross-functional adherence.

Supplier Quality Management:

• Establish quality expectations and audit criteria for foundries, OSATs, and test vendors.
• Manage scorecards, supplier 8D responses, and escalation of systemic quality escapes.

Customer Quality:

• Interface with Tier-1 infrastructure customers for quality dashboards, PCN alignment, and RMA investigation outcomes.
• Lead root cause analysis (5-Why, Fishbone, Fault Tree) and customer communications related to returns.

Product and Package Qualification:

• Develop comprehensive device and package-level qualification plans in collaboration with Product Engineering, Design, and Reliability teams, ensuring alignment with JEDEC, AEC-Q100, and customer-specific standards.
• Own and maintain the qualification catalog including technology, device, and package qualifications; family qualification matrices; and Qualification by Extension (QBE) specifications to enable reuse, ensure traceability, and support efficient qualification planning.

Compliance and Certification:

• Ensure adherence to JEDEC (JESD47, JESD22), ISO 9001, RoHS, REACH, 3TG, and relevant military standards (e.g., MIL-STD-883) as applicable to product classification.
• Lead environmental compliance efforts across Axiro and its supply chain, ensuring alignment with ISO 14001 principles and integrating sustainability considerations into supplier qualification, risk management, and corporate policy.
• Prepare Axiro for audit readiness and maintain certification artifacts and audit closure documentation.

Yield Management & Quality Correlation:

• Lead yield analysis and management across all manufacturing stages including foundry, assembly, wafer sort, and final test. Monitor and trend yield performance throughout the product lifecycle to drive proactive improvements and support production ramp readiness.
• Utilize yield and defect data to identify quality signals, correlate failure modes across process stages, and drive systemic improvements. Establish feedback loops between yield excursions, customer returns, and supplier process control. Implement corrective actions upstream and lead continuous improvement using statistical tools such as SPC, Pareto, regression analysis, and DOE to reduce variation, enhance DPPM, and strengthen product reliability.

Metrics, Reporting & Continuous Improvement:

• Define and publish KPIs such as RMA rate, PPM, escape rate, DPPM by supplier, yield excursion frequency, and FA closure time.
• Lead quality improvement projects using Six Sigma, SPC, or Lean methodologies to drive measurable defect reduction.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE), Materials Science and Engineering (BSMSE), Applied Physics (BSAP), or a related technical field is required. A Master's degree with a focus on reliability engineering is a plus.
• 8+ years of quality management experience in the semiconductor industry.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence quality outcomes across internal and external stakeholders.
• In-depth knowledge of industry quality standards including JEDEC, ISO 9001, AEC-Q100, and military standards such as MIL-STD-883.
• Expertise in developing qualification plans for stress-driven reliability testing.
• Deep experience with semiconductors in SiGe, GaAs, and GaN technologies.
• Detailed knowledge of wafer fabrication methods and package assembly techniques (QFN, Flip-chip, LGA, BGA).
• Proven experience implementing and managing QMS systems.
• Strong understanding of root cause analysis of semiconductor ICs and FA techniques (CSAM, X-ray, SEM/EDX, FIB-SEM, EMMI, CIVA, curve tracing, de-cap analysis, and elemental techniques such as SIMS, XPS, or AES).
• Proficient at 8D reporting and coordinating supplier audits.