What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supply Chain Manager position at OpenLight?
OpenLight, a fast-growing silicon photonics company, is seeking an experienced Supply Chain Manager to drive and scale our operations as we enter a new phase of our business. OpenLight is a well-funded privately held company with a mission to bring the benefits of Heterogeneous Integration to the market and has customers in a range of industries including AI and datacom, machine vision and LIDAR. As we expand our operations to meet unprecedented demand, this role will be central to enable our manufacturing ramp in a high growth market and will work closely with engineering, program management, and executive leadership to ensure continuity and quality across our supplier base.
What you will do:
- Own end-to-end supplier relationships across epitaxial growth (EPI), wafer fabrication (Fab), and backend processes including OSATs, bumping, and dicing, as well as PCB manufacturers, packaging and assembly houses
- Manage purchase orders, lead times, and capacity allocations with key suppliers
- Work with product management and sales to understand demand, forecast and lead time requirements from customers
- Develop and maintain supply forecasts aligned with engineering roadmaps and production ramp plans
- Proactively identify supply risks and drive mitigation strategies
- Negotiate pricing, MOQs, and contractual terms with suppliers
- Conduct quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with strategic suppliers, tracking quality metrics, delivery performance, and cost
- Coordinate new supplier qualification in collaboration with process and quality engineering teams
- Maintain accurate supply chain data including forecasts, commitments, and inventory levels
- Support engineering teams on material availability for R&D and pilot production runs
- Drive continuous improvement in supplier performance and supply chain processes
Your background and experience include:
- Minimum 10 years of supply chain or operations experience in a semiconductor or photonics environment
- Familiarity with wafer fabrication, epitaxial growth, or compound semiconductor manufacturing
- Experience managing backend processes (OSAT, dicing, bumping)
- Strong communication and negotiation skills; comfortable engaging directly with supplier engineering and commercial teams
- Ability to manage multiple suppliers and programs simultaneously in a fast-paced startup environment
- Proficiency with Arena or supply chain management tools
- Willingness and ability to travel, domestically or internationally, about once a quarter
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, or a related field
Location
With offices near city and sand in Santa Clara and Goleta, California, and a hybrid schedule, you'll be set for this role to fit into your life and livelihood. This role is also open for a remote hire within the US, with ability to travel quarterly, as mentioned above).
Why Join Us
This is a high-impact role at a critical stage for the growth of OpenLight. OpenLight recently announced both the closure of an $84m series A funding round as well as the first production customers on our PH18DA platform and we are well positioned to intercept the transition of Silicon Photonics from a niche technology to the dominant format for design and fabrication of optical components and systems. You will have direct visibility to leadership and the opportunity to build and shape our supply chain function from the ground up at an exciting time for the industry.