Head of Engineering (RFIC Focus)

Oso Semiconductor

$175K — $210K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of RFIC/mmWave design and product development experience.
  • Proven capability in building and scaling engineering teams in startup environments.
  • Proficiency in Cadence EDA tools and EM simulation instruments.
  • Deep knowledge of mmWave front-end circuits and RF signal chains.
  • Experience with chip production lifecycle including tapeouts and reliability testing.
  • Strong communication skills and ability to lead cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

  • Own and lead the engineering organization and its strategic direction.
  • Design and concurrently develop RFIC circuits alongside team members.
  • Define and implement technical architecture for beamforming chips.
  • Manage the full chip lifecycle from design through mass production.
  • Recruit and mentor engineers to cultivate a culture of excellence.
  • Collaborate with executive leadership to align engineering and market strategy.
  • Drive innovation and contribute to the company's IP portfolio.

Benefits

  • Equity package with a potential for significant financial upside.
  • Comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, and vision.
  • Flexible hybrid work schedule with in-office requirements three days a week.
  • Unlimited paid time off for work-life balance.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching.
  • Vibrant team culture with regular social events and luncheons.
  • Company-paid life insurance for employee security.
  • Flexible spending and health savings account options for healthcare expenses.
Full Job Description
The Role

We are hiring a Head of Engineering to lead our engineering organization through its next phase of growth. This is a hands-on technical leadership role: you will help set the architectural direction for our mmWave RFIC platform while personally contributing to circuit design. You will build, scale, and manage the engineering team as we grow.

The right person is a senior RFIC leader who has built teams before, takes initiative, and wants the accountability of owning engineering outcomes end to end. We need an engineering leader who is capable of circuit design and building a team. This role does both.

Responsibilities
  • Engineering Leadership: Own the engineering organization. Guide technical strategy, define team structure, and establish processes that scale.
  • Hands-On RFIC Design: Design, simulate, layout, and integrate front-end circuits (LNAs, PAs, phase shifters, VGAs). You will be designing alongside your team, not just managing.
  • Technical Vision: Help to define and drive the architectural direction of our mmWave beamforming chips and phased array systems.
  • Product Development: Oversee the full chip lifecycle: design, verification, testing, and managing fabrication and OSAT relationships; from prototyping through mass production.
  • Team Building: Recruit, manage, and mentor RFIC, system, and mixed-signal engineers. Build a culture of technical excellence.
  • Strategic Collaboration: Work directly with the CEO/CTO, BD, and customers to align engineering execution with market opportunities.
  • Innovation & IP: Help develop novel architectures and build the company's patent portfolio.
  • Operational Excellence: Drive best practices in design methodology, simulation, testing, and manufacturability.


Required Qualifications
  • 10+ years of experience in RFIC/mmWave design, system architecture, and product development (minimum 5+ years professional/industry experience).
  • Proven track record building and scaling engineering teams, ideally in a startup or high-growth environment.
  • Expert proficiency with Cadence EDA suite (Virtuoso, Spectre, and ADE), EM simulation tools (Ansys HFSS, Momentum, or EMX), and RF test methodologies.
  • Deep expertise in mmWave front-end circuits: PAs, LNAs, phase shifters, VGAs, and passive structures.
  • Strong understanding of phased array systems and RF signal chains.
  • Experience with tapeouts, chip packaging, testing, DFM, and reliability.
  • Track record delivering RFIC products from design through production.
  • Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience bringing beamforming RFICs from concept to volume production.
  • Experience in SATCOM, 5G, or radar markets.
  • Experience working with foundries and managing semiconductor supply chains.
  • Strong transmit circuit design background, particularly high-frequency PA techniques.
  • Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Electrical Engineering.
  • Strategic mindset: engineering decisions framed in terms of business outcomes and competitive positioning.

Why Oso Semi?
  • Start-up Impact: Have a direct impact on technology that could change the world.
  • Hands-on + strategic: Not a pure management role. You'll be in the design tools.
  • Meaningful equity: Senior-level grant with real upside at our stage.
  • UC Berkeley DNA: Founded by PhDs published in IEEE conferences and journals.
  • First Principles Innovation: Multiple patents providing 2-4x reductions in power.
  • Established Traction: Signed multi-year, high-volume customer agreements in defense and commercial markets (SATCOM, radar, and 5G).

What We Offer
  • Equity: Stock option grant with 4-year vesting and 1-year cliff.
  • Medical, Dental & Vision: Comprehensive health coverage with employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision plans.
  • Hybrid Schedule: Monday-Wednesday in office.
  • Time Off: Unlimited PTO.
  • 401(k): Employer-matched retirement plan.
  • Team Culture: Regular team lunches, events, and celebrations.
  • Life Insurance: Company-paid life insurance.
  • FSA & HSA: Flexible spending and health savings account options available.
  • Commuter Benefits: Pre-tax transit and parking benefits.

This role requires access to export-controlled technology. Candidates must be U.S. persons (U.S. citizen, permanent resident, asylee, or refugee) or eligible for an export license.

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Oso Semiconductor

More Telecommunications & Hardware Jobs

Find similar Head of Engineering (RFIC Focus) jobs: