Director of Characterisation

About the role

The team validates AI silicon performance before customer deployment, ensuring reliability under real conditions.

The role defines and executes characterisation strategies for next generation silicon and system platforms, shaping lab infrastructure and technical execution.

The role influences product design and validation methods for future AI systems as a hands on leadership position within Manufacturing Operations.

Leaders set direction and build the conditions for their teams to succeed. They hire, coach, and hold people accountable. Leadership work spans strategy, communication, and decision making. Effective leaders give clear context and remove obstacles for the people who report to them. Leadership roles are measured by team outcomes, retention, and delivery. Most organizations expect leaders to be visible, predictable, and generous with context.

Key facts

What you'll do

Lead bring up and characterisation activities to prove AI silicon meets performance targets across diverse conditions.

Define test strategies and lab infrastructure that support next generation silicon and system platforms.

Ensure product performance consistency by validating behaviour under real world operating conditions.

Requirements

Demonstrate a proven track record delivering complex technical projects as an individual contributor, manager, or project manager, with the ability to work independently and drive execution.

Apply strong expertise in silicon digital device design, bring-up, characterisation, and silicon process technologies, assessing their impact on transistor and system level performance.

Show in-depth knowledge of high-performance processors, system-on-chip architectures, and high-speed digital interfaces such as PCIe, Ethernet, and DDR.

Use measurement automation, data analysis, and scripting or coding to develop automated test and analysis workflows, with familiarity of ATE systems and their capabilities.

Hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience, and communicate clearly with strong presentation and stakeholder management skills.

Nice to have

Understand PCBA and system level technologies.

Bring project management experience to coordinate validation activities.

Skills & tools

Work with ATE systems to assess silicon and system level performance.

Practical notes

This role operates within Manufacturing Operations and works closely with cross functional engineering and production test teams.

Typical interview steps

Leadership hiring usually includes a strategy case, a people scenario, and a values conversation. Candidates may be asked to turn around a struggling team or plan for growth. Past results are examined closely, especially how decisions were made. Interviewers dig into specific decisions you made and their consequences. Preparing two or three decision stories with numbers and lessons is the best use of time.

Good to know

Roles in characterisation focus on proving that silicon meets specifications before products ship to customers.

Measurement automation and data analysis are central to validating performance at scale.

High speed digital interfaces like PCIe, Ethernet, and DDR are critical for AI workloads at the system level.

Test strategies and lab infrastructure are shaped through collaboration with architecture, silicon and product teams.

Ownership, clear communication, and technical leadership remove blockers and enable trusted decision making.

Questions to ask

Good questions to ask the employer in the interview: what does success look like in the first six months, how is the team structured, what is the current biggest challenge, and how are decisions made. Asking about growth paths and the review process is also well received. Employers expect questions, and good ones show preparation.

Career growth

Leadership careers move from manager to senior manager, director, and executive roles. Each step adds more scope and more responsibility for outcomes. The best leaders keep learning how to delegate, communicate, and decide. Leadership careers reward a record of building and developing people. The higher you go, the more your communication shapes the whole organization.