About the role
About the Opportunity
A semiconductor startup developing next-generation graphics processors is seeking an experienced Lead SoC Architect to own architecture definition and technical direction for advanced compute platforms.
This is a hands-on technical leadership role combining individual contribution with cross-functional engineering leadership. Candidates must be local to the Bay Area and able to work on-site in Sunnyvale.
Responsibilities
* Define top-level SoC architecture, subsystem partitioning, interface specifications, and microarchitecture requirements.
* Evaluate tradeoffs across performance, power, area, bandwidth, latency, and scalability.
* Lead performance modeling, workload analysis, and bottleneck identification using C/C++/SystemC or similar tools.
* Define memory hierarchy, NoC/interconnect strategy, cache structures, and coherency architecture.
* Evaluate and integrate third-party IP, including compute, memory, connectivity, multimedia, and security subsystems.
* Collaborate with RTL, verification, physical design, firmware, software, and systems teams throughout development.
* Partner with verification teams on architectural test plans and validation strategies.
* Support silicon bring-up, debugging, performance tuning, and post-silicon optimization.
* Contribute to long-term technology and product roadmaps.
Required Qualifications
* Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
* 10+ years of experience in SoC architecture, ASIC development, or complex semiconductor system design.
* Strong understanding of modern SoC architectures and subsystem integration.
* Expertise in one or more of the following: * CPU, GPU, or NPU architectures * NoC/interconnect architectures * Cache coherency protocols, including CHI, ACE, or CXL * High-speed interfaces such as PCIe, UCIe, or Ethernet * Memory systems such as DDR5, LPDDR5X, or HBM * Power and performance optimization
* Strong knowledge of RTL development and verification methodologies.
* Experience with architecture modeling and performance analysis tools.
* Understanding of firmware/software interaction in complex SoC systems.
* Strong problem-solving, communication, and technical leadership skills.
Preferred Qualifications
* Experience with AI accelerators, GPUs, networking, RISC-V, or datacenter SoCs.
* Experience with chiplet-based or multi-die architectures.
* Familiarity with advanced process technologies and package integration.
* Experience with emulation, FPGA prototyping, and system-level validation.
* Knowledge of Linux drivers, runtime software, or system software architecture.
* Prior technical leadership across cross-functional engineering teams.