Senior Director, Engineering
About this role
Silvaco is hiring a Memory Design Lead to drive the architecture, design, customer interface and delivery of our embedded memory compiler portfolio: single-port SRAM, ROM, single- and dual-port register files (1PRF, 2PRF), and dual-port RAM (DPRAM). You will lead a team of memory designers, set the technical direction across multiple process nodes, and serve as the senior technical voice in customer engagements — from early presales architecture discussions through PPA negotiation, integration support, and silicon qualification.
This role blends deep technical leadership with direct customer impact. You will shape what our compilers can do, how competitive their PPA is, and how confidently our customers can integrate them into their SoCs. If you have built memory compilers in production, mentored design teams, and enjoy translating customer requirements into winning silicon, this is a high-leverage role at a fast-growing semiconductor IP and EDA company.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Memory Design
Lead architecture, circuit design, and physical implementation of memory compilers across SRAM, ROM, 1-port and 2-port register files, and dual-port RAM.
Define bitcell selection, peripheral architecture (decoders, sense amps, write drivers, IO, self-timing), redundancy and repair strategy, and assist circuits (read/write assist, body bias) to hit aggressive PPA targets.
Drive Vmin, leakage, performance, area, and yield optimization across PVT corners, process variation, and aging effects.
Own the technical roadmap for the memory portfolio: new compiler variants, new nodes, feature enhancements, and methodology improvements.
Establish design, verification, and signoff methodology, while leading design and layout reviews, SPICE/FastSPICE characterization, statistical/Monte Carlo analysis, BIST/repair, DFT, and physical verification.
Lead silicon validation efforts including test chip development, testing and reporting.
Team Leadership
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of memory design engineers spanning circuit design, layout, characterization, and compiler/automation.
Set individual and team goals, conduct technical reviews, and develop career paths for engineers at multiple levels.
Allocate engineering effort across roadmap projects, customer commitments, and silicon programs; manage schedules, dependencies, and risk.
Build a culture of design rigor, peer review, and continuous methodology improvement.
Presales & Customer Engagement
Serve as the senior technical lead in presales engagements — qualifying opportunities, presenting Silvaco's memory portfolio, and shaping winning technical proposals.
Translate customer SoC requirements (frequency, voltage, density, power, port configuration, special modes) into compiler specifications and PPA commitments.
Partner with sales, field application engineers, and product management on RFQs, technical evaluations, and competitive benchmarking.
Lead deep-dive technical workshops with customer architects and design teams; respond to detailed technical questionnaires and audit-style reviews.
PPA Analysis & Benchmarking
Own PPA analysis across the memory portfolio — performance, power (active and leakage), area, and yield — at both the instance and SoC-aggregate level.
Build and maintain competitive benchmarks against foundry and third-party memory IP; identify gaps and prioritize closure.
Drive what-if and sensitivity analysis to guide architecture trade-offs (e.g., bitcell choice, mux ratio, banking, assist circuits, voltage operating range).
Translate PPA insights into clear, customer-ready collateral: datasheets, application notes, and technical white papers.
Customer Communication & Support
Act as the primary technical point of contact for strategic customers throughout the engagement lifecycle — from evaluation through integration, tapeout, and silicon validation.
Lead technical reviews, integration debug, and silicon correlation discussions with customer design and product engineering teams.
Drive root-cause analysis and resolution of customer-reported issues, coordinating across design, characterization, CAD, and product teams.
Represent Silvaco in foundry partner meetings and at industry conferences as needed.
Required Qualifications
BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of embedded memory design experience, with demonstrated production tapeouts of SRAM and at least two of: ROM, 1-port register file, 2-port register file, dual-port RAM.
Deep expertise in bitcell-level circuit design, memory peripherals, self-timed paths, sense amplifier design, and assist circuit techniques.
Hands-on experience across multiple process nodes, including FinFET and/or advanced sub-7nm nodes.
Strong command of SPICE simulation, statistical and Monte Carlo analysis, Vmin/yield modeling, and reliability (BTI/HCI/EM) analysis.
Working knowledge of memory compiler architecture and automation: how compilers assemble instances, generate views (.lib, LEF, GDS, Verilog, CDL), and scale across configurations.
Hands-on experience with DFT/scan tools (Tessent, FastScan), power integrity signoff (RedHawk or equivalent), and layout verification flows (DRC, LVS, parasitic extraction)
Familiarity with RTL/Verilog modelling of memory compilers, testchip definition and silicon correlation, and SDK/automation development for compiler view generation.
Proven team leadership experience — direct management or strong technical lead role over a team of 6+ memory designers.
Demonstrated success in customer-facing technical roles: presales, PPA negotiation, integration support.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical material to engineers, architects, and executives.
Proficiency with scripting (Python, TCL, Perl) and Linux-based design environments.
Experience working with AI tools, such as Claude, OpenAI, Gemini
Prior experience presenting at industry venues (ISSCC, VLSI Symposium, custom integrated circuits conferences) or contributing to memory IP standards.
Direct experience interfacing with foundry partners on PDK, bitcell qualification, and reference flow alignment.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience leading memory compiler programs at an IP vendor, foundry, or large semiconductor company.
Background in low-power memory design for mobile, IoT, automotive, or AI/ML accelerator applications.
Experience with multi-port memory architectures beyond 2-port (e.g., 3-port, 4-port register files) and specialty memories (TCAM, multi-bank arrays).
All Silvaco salary ranges are determined by role, level, and geographic location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location, role-related knowledge and skills, depth of experience, relevant education or training, and additional role-related considerations.
Depending on the position offered, equity, bonuses, commission, or other forms of compensation may also be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits.
Silvaco is a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq market under the symbol SVCO. For over three decades, Silvaco, based in Silicon Valley, California and with global locations around the world has solved semiconductor design challenges by offering affordable and competitive TCAD (Technology Computer Aided Design) software, EDA (Electronic Design Automation) software, proven design IP (intellectual property), and world class support to engineers and researchers across the globe. Silvaco solutions span from atoms to systems: starting with simulation of material behavior impacting semiconductor devices, to design and analysis of transistor circuits, and lastly providing IP blocks for systems-on-chip (SoC) designs.
Originally posted on Himalayas
