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Sr. Director - SoC Front End Engineering

Austin, Texas, United States

Company Overview

Ambiq is on a mission to enable intelligence everywhere — powering the AI edge revolution with the world's lowest-power semiconductor solutions.

Built on our proprietary sub- and near-threshold technology, our chips deliver multi-fold improvements in energy efficiency without costly process scaling. Since 2010, we've shipped over 290 million units to customers building smarter wearables, medical devices, IoT products, and AI-powered edge applications.

Our cross-functional teams span design, research, development, production, marketing, sales, and operations across Austin, Hsinchu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore. We move fast, tackle hard problems, and create space for people to grow through complex, meaningful work that shapes the future of technology.

We're looking for self-motivated, creative problem-solvers who are eager to push technological limits and make a real impact in energy efficiency.

At Ambiq, we live by five values: Innovate. Collaborate. Focus. Learn. Achieve.

If that's you, join us — the intelligence everywhere revolution starts here.

 

This role will be on-site 5 days a week in NW Austin.

Ambiq is seeking a Senior Director of Front-End Engineering to lead the design and implementation of our Edge AI MCU portfolio — driving the digital design, integration, and verification of ultra-low-power SoCs purpose-built for machine learning at the edge.

This is a hands-on, strategic leadership role responsible for building and scaling a world-class engineering organization that delivers breakthrough performance-per-microwatt. The ideal candidate combines deep technical acumen with people leadership excellence and has a proven record of bringing advanced SoCs from architecture to production.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

  • Own and drive the front-end design of Ambiq’s Edge AI MCU platforms — including CPU subsystems, neural accelerators, security, memory, and peripheral integration.

  • Lead architecture definition, RTL design, and subsystem integration focused on power-optimized AI compute and real-time performance.

  • Develop and enforce world-class design methodologies across RTL, verification (UVM), and static checks (lint, CDC, DFT readiness).

  • Partner with Architecture and Physical Design teams to ensure seamless PPA optimization and first-silicon success.

  • Evaluate and deploy next-generation EDA tools, design automation, and verification infrastructure to accelerate tapeout readiness.

Execution & Delivery

  • Drive design execution for multiple MCU programs concurrently, from concept through production tapeout.

  • Define and track program milestones, deliverables, and risk management plans with cross-functional stakeholders.

  • Establish design review frameworks and sign-off criteria ensuring predictable, high-quality execution.

People & Organization Leadership

  • Lead and grow a team of front-end engineers across design, verification, and integration disciplines.

  • Build a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and accountability.

  • Mentor senior technical staff and create clear pathways for career growth and technical leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Collaborate closely with system architects, analog/mixed-signal, and validation teams to co-optimize hardware and software performance.

  • Partner with Product Management to translate application requirements (vision, voice, sensing) into silicon-level specifications.

  • Interface with Operations, Test, and Product Engineering to ensure DFT, yield, and manufacturability goals are achieved.

Qualifications

Required

  • 20+ years of experience in semiconductor front-end design and verification, with 15+ years in a leadership capacity managing multi-disciplinary teams.

  • Proven track record of delivering MCU, SoC, or ASIC products into high-volume production.

  • Expertise in low-power digital design, including multi-voltage domains, power gating, and clock management.

  • Strong hands-on understanding of SystemVerilog, UVM, and synthesis/STA methodologies.

  • Familiarity with ARM Cortex-M/R/A or RISC-V architectures and on-chip interconnects (AHB/AXI).

  • Excellent communication and leadership skills; proven ability to lead complex, cross-site teams.

  • Education: BS/MS in Electrical or Computer Engineering required; Ph.D. preferred.

Preferred

  • Experience with subthreshold or near-threshold design techniques and power modeling.

  • Knowledge of EDA flows at advanced process nodes (16nm and below).

What Success Looks Like

  • First-pass silicon success across multiple Edge AI MCU programs.

  • Demonstrable improvements in design productivity, quality, and predictability.

  • Market-leading metrics enabling industry-best energy efficiency.

  • A cohesive, motivated team operating at high technical and cultural standards.

**Must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer. We do not sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas (now or in the future) for this role.

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