GlobalFoundries

Lead Architect, Custom Silicon

GlobalFoundries$131K — $241K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience in custom silicon, ASIC, or SoC design (digital/mixed-signal) required.
  • Strong understanding of hardware system partitioning and IP integration essential.
  • Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field needed.
  • Expertise in architecture flows and performance modeling a must.
  • Familiarity with interface standards like PCIe, USB, DDR essential.
  • Proficiency in problem-solving and debugging with system-level thinking.

Responsibilities

  • Define and own architecture for custom silicon products from concept to tape-out.
  • Lead design requirement gathering, trade-off analyses, and optimization for performance.
  • Guide integration of major IP blocks and processing subsystems.
  • Collaborate with teams to align architectural vision with market needs.
  • Ensure design execution aligns with architectural specifications.
  • Investigate and integrate third-party IP alongside validation strategies.
  • Mentor cross-functional engineering teams and provide leadership.

Benefits

  • Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.
  • Supportive work environment emphasizing diversity and inclusion.
  • Work on next-generation technology impacting various industries.
  • Access to advanced design and fabrication technologies.
  • Potential for involvement in cutting-edge projects like Physical AI and automotive systems.
Full Job Description
Introduction:

The Custom Silicon Lead Architect is responsible for defining and driving the architecture of next-generation custom silicon solutions, including complex ASICs and SoCs. This role requires cross-disciplinary collaboration with design, verification, hardware, firmware, and software teams to deliver high-performance, innovative, and reliable custom silicon products.

Your Job:

  • Define and own the architecture and technical specifications for custom silicon products from concept through tape-out.


  • Lead requirement gathering, trade-off analysis, partitioning, and high-level design, optimizing for performance, power, area, scalability, and cost.


  • Guide the design and integration of major IP blocks, processing subsystems, memory and I/O, high-speed interfaces, and custom accelerators.


  • Collaborate with stakeholders (systems, product management, software, and firmware) to align architectural vision and feature sets with market and product needs.


  • Oversee architectural execution to ensure design aligns with specifications and architectural intent.


  • Investigate, evaluate, and integrate third-party IP and develop strategies for architecture validation, bring-up, and post-silicon debug.


  • Mentor and provide technical leadership to cross-functional engineering teams


  • Present technical concepts and progress to internal teams, management, and external partners.


Other Responsibilities:

  • Ensure security, safety, and system-level design compliance in architecture, adhering to relevant standards (e.g., ISO 26262, IEC 61508).


Required Qualifications:

  • Deep experience architecting custom silicon, ASIC, or SoC designs (digital/mixed-signal).


  • Expertise in hardware system partitioning, IP integration, interconnect protocols, memory hierarchies, and clock/power domain management.


  • Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related field


  • Strong knowledge of top-down architecture flows, performance modeling, EDA tools, and verification strategies.


  • Familiarity with multi-discipline integration, including analog, RF, and software/firmware/hardware interfaces.


  • Thorough understanding of modern interface standards (AXI, PCIe, DDR/LpDDR, MIPI, USB, etc.).


  • Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and system-level thinking skills.


  • Strong communication, technical writing, and project leadership skills.


Preferred Qualifications:

  • 15+ years of experience in custom silicon, ASIC, or SoC development with a track record of leading Architecture.


  • Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related field


  • Demonstrated project leadership in multi-site or cross-disciplinary environments.


  • Experience in domains such as Physical AI, automotive, networking, storage, security, or advanced compute.


  • Involvement in strategic planning, IP/vendor evaluations, and cross-functional technical reviews.


  • History of patents, publications, or industry engagement is a plus.


Expected Salary Range
$131,900.00 - $241,500.00

The exact Salary will be determined based on qualifications, experience and location.

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