Head of Advanced Semiconductor Packaging Design & Simulation

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced semiconductor packaging design and simulation leader to take ownership of advanced chip packaging development, from initial architecture through design validation and volume production.

This is a senior technical leadership role requiring a combination of deep engineering expertise, multidisciplinary collaboration and team management. You will lead packaging architecture, design optimisation and multiphysics simulation, working closely with silicon design, memory, board engineering, thermal management, manufacturing and external technology partners.

You will be responsible for ensuring packaging solutions meet demanding performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost and delivery requirements, while establishing the engineering processes and technical capabilities needed to support future product development.

Key Responsibilities

Packaging Architecture & Design

• Define packaging architectures, technology roadmaps and design strategies to support current and future semiconductor products.

• Lead decisions relating to package structures, die placement, substrate stack-ups, interconnect technologies and power delivery.

• Assess design feasibility, manufacturability, production yield, cost and supply-chain risks throughout the development lifecycle.

• Lead chip, package and circuit-board co-design activities, reviewing interconnect mapping, package layouts, routing strategies and manufacturing constraints.

• Drive design reviews, technical resolution and final design sign-off to ensure successful release into manufacturing.

Simulation, Validation & Reliability

• Lead signal integrity (SI), power integrity (PI), thermal and thermomechanical analysis across complex semiconductor packaging designs.

• Establish simulation methodologies, modelling assumptions, design budgets, operating margins and technical sign-off criteria.

• Coordinate prototype testing and correlate simulation results with physical measurements.

• Lead root-cause investigations into electrical, thermal, mechanical and reliability issues, implementing effective corrective actions.

• Drive technical trade-offs across performance, power delivery, cooling, structural integrity and long-term product reliability.

Manufacturing & Supplier Collaboration

• Act as the senior technical interface with semiconductor manufacturing facilities, assembly and test partners, and substrate suppliers.

• Work closely with product engineering, test and quality teams to support prototype builds, product qualification, yield improvement and production ramp-up.

• Evaluate manufacturing capabilities, process limitations and emerging packaging technologies.

• Identify technical and delivery risks early, developing mitigation plans with internal teams and external partners.

• Support continuous improvement across design, validation and manufacturing processes.

Technical Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, develop and lead a specialist team of packaging design and simulation engineers.

• Establish clear technical responsibilities, project plans, resource requirements and development priorities.

• Set engineering standards for design reviews, version control, change management and technical documentation.

• Build reusable simulation models, engineering methodologies, design guidelines and best practices.

• Lead complex technical decisions across multidisciplinary teams, balancing engineering requirements against commercial and programme objectives.

• Encourage knowledge sharing, technical innovation and continuous improvement across the engineering function.

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.

• 10+ years of relevant experience in semiconductor packaging design, development or engineering.

• Demonstrable ownership of at least one complex packaging programme from architecture and design through validation and volume production.

• Strong understanding of advanced package technologies, including flip-chip and FC-BGA, substrate design, packaging materials and semiconductor assembly processes.

• Ability to assess trade-offs involving high-speed interconnects, power delivery, thermal management, manufacturability and reliability.

• Substantial hands-on expertise in at least one of the following: package design, signal and power integrity, thermal analysis, or thermomechanical simulation.

• Ability to direct multidisciplinary engineering analysis, challenge technical assumptions and make informed design sign-off decisions.

• Experience leading engineering teams and collaborating across design, manufacturing, quality and product development functions.

• Experience managing technical relationships with external suppliers and manufacturing partners.

• Familiarity with relevant electronic design automation (EDA) and simulation tools, including the ability to conduct technical analysis or review specialist engineering work.

• Excellent technical communication, problem-solving and documentation skills, with professional fluency in English.

Desirable Experience

Candidates with experience in the following areas will be particularly attractive:

• Advanced 2.5D and 3D packaging design, simulation, qualification or production.

• Chiplet architectures and heterogeneous integration.

• Silicon interposers, redistribution layers (RDL), through-silicon vias (TSVs), microbumps or hybrid bonding.

• Packaging for high-performance processors, graphics processors, switching devices or complex application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

• Large-format or high-power semiconductor packages with demanding electrical and thermal requirements.

• Advanced substrate technologies, packaging manufacturing processes and associated supplier ecosystems.

• Scaling packaging technologies from early development into reliable, high-volume manufacturing.

What You'll Bring

You will combine strong technical judgement with the ability to lead people, influence stakeholders and deliver complex engineering programmes.

You will be comfortable working across multiple disciplines, translating challenging product requirements into practical packaging solutions, and making decisions where electrical, thermal, mechanical, manufacturing and commercial priorities must be balanced.

You will also bring a forward-looking approach to technology development, with the ability to identify emerging opportunities, improve engineering processes and build a capable team equipped to tackle increasingly complex packaging challenges.

The Opportunity to Make an Impact

This role offers the opportunity to shape advanced semiconductor packaging strategy, influence critical engineering decisions and build technical capability within a growing technology environment.

You will have significant ownership of the packaging development process, opportunities to work with specialist engineering and manufacturing teams, and the ability to contribute directly to the performance, reliability and scalability of next-generation semiconductor products.

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