Director, Analog IC Design

ESS Technology; Kelowna; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

MSP-BC

Extended Health Care

Dental

Vision

Life

AD&D

Life Term benefits

Job summary

ESS Technology, Inc. invites an experienced Director of Analog IC Design to join our Kelowna Design Center. You will set technical direction, lead the analog design group, and stay hands-on with circuit design for high‑performance DACs, ADCs, PLLs, and Class D blocks.

You will recruit and mentor a growing team, coordinate with layout, verification, product engineering, and ESS headquarters in California, and occasionally travel as needed to drive our next phase of product development.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) is required.
• Extensive experience in analog or mixed signal IC design with a proven track record leading, mentoring, and growing design teams.
• Experience designing data converters (DACs/ADCs), PLLs, bandgaps, temperature sensors, charge pumps, and voltage regulators.

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage the audio analog design group, including staffing, resourcing, and prioritization across projects.
• Set the technical direction and strategic roadmap for the analog design group, aligned with product priorities.
• Personally design and develop high‑performance mixed signal circuits for audio DACs, ADCs, PLLs, power amplifiers, and building blocks.
• Own specification definition, architecture, circuit design, verification, layout supervision, and characterization of complex analog ICs from concept through production sampling.
• Lead and participate in tapeouts of complex mixed signal ICs, coordinating with layout, verification, and product engineering teams.
• Design and characterize Class D amplifier blocks, including H‑Bridge output stages using advanced process tech.
• Develop new circuit architectures and assess complexity, risk, and schedule trade-offs of new designs.
• Develop and implement technical procedures for the analog design group.
• Recruit, mentor, and grow the analog design team, leading design reviews and providing technical guidance.
• Support other groups with testing, qualifying, and releasing designs to production.
• Evaluate and champion AI-assisted design tools to improve productivity and verification coverage.

Skills

Leadership & mentoring

Analog IC design

Team building

Circuit design

Verilog basics

Education

MSEE (Master’s in Electrical Engineering)

Tools

Synopsys Custom Compiler

SPICE

MATLAB

Job description

Business Address / Job Location: Kelowna, British Columbia

Duration: Permanent Position

Degree Requirements: MSEE required, with extensive analog IC design experience and a proven track record of leading design teams.

Work Experience: Extensive experience in analog or mixed signal IC design, with a proven track record leading, mentoring, and growing design teams.

Our Location:

Our Kelowna Design Center is located in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, a region known for its wineries, long hot summers and exceptional skiing. We offer the unique opportunity to design and develop highly integrated, mixed signal circuits for audio/video consumer electronics applications in one of the most beautiful locations in North America.

About ESS:

ESS is global leader in Audio semiconductor and has some of the world's best audio DACs, ADCs, and CODECs. Our expertise, along with a commitment to producing the very best with a “hands‑on” approach to all aspects of design, gives a working environment and quality of life that is second to none. As we are expanding into Class D audio amplifier design, we are looking for an experienced analog design leader to direct and grow this next phase of our product roadmap.

Main Duties

As Director, Analog IC Design, you will set the technical direction and lead the analog design group, while remaining hands‑on with circuit design. Responsibilities include:

• Direct and manage the audio analog design group, including staffing, resourcing, and prioritization across projects.
• Set the technical direction and strategic roadmap for the analog design group, in line with company product and business priorities.
• Personally design and develop high-performance mixed signal circuits for audio DACs, ADCs, PLLs, power amplifier, and supporting building blocks such as bandgaps, temperature sensors, charge pumps, and voltage regulators.
• Own specification definition, architecture, circuit design, verification, layout supervision, and characterization of complex analog and mixed signal ICs, from concept through production sampling.
• Lead and participate at a senior level in tapeouts of complex mixed signal ICs, coordinating closely with layout, verification, and product engineering teams.
• Design and characterize Class D amplifier building blocks, including H-Bridge output stages using BCD process technology.
• Develop new circuit architectures and assess the complexity, risk, and schedule trade-offs of new designs, balancing innovation with the need to deliver on schedule.
• Develop and implement technical procedures for the analog design group.
• Recruit, mentor, and grow the analog design team, leading design reviews and technical guidance across the group.
• Support other groups with testing, qualifying, and releasing designs to production.
• Evaluate and champion AI-assisted design tools and flows to improve design productivity, verification coverage, and turnaround time across the group.
• Represent the analog design group in cross-functional and company-wide product planning, including regular coordination with ESS headquarters in California; some travel will be required.

Employment Requirements

• A Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) is required.
• Extensive experience in analog or mixed signal IC design, with a proven track record leading, mentoring, and growing design teams.
• Demonstrated experience designing data converters (DACs/ADCs), PLLs, bandgaps, temperature sensors, charge pumps, and voltage regulators.
• Experience with BCD (Bipolar‑CMOS‑DMOS) process technology; hands‑on experience designing H‑Bridge output stage applications is preferred.
• Hands‑on experience with Synopsys Custom Compiler for schematic entry, simulation, and layout is required.
• Strong knowledge of CMOS technologies (0.18-um to 12‑nm) containing large digital blocks and precision analog circuits.
• Proficiency with SPICE, MATLAB, and related simulation and analysis tools.
• Experience using AI-assisted design tools or flows to accelerate design, verification, or layout tasks is a strong plus.
• Solid layout knowledge and understanding of parasitic component effects.
• Comfortable with common lab equipment, such as oscilloscopes, function generators, power supplies, and soldering equipment.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, recruit, and grow a team of analog designers, with strong communication and organizational leadership skills and the ability to collaborate across digital, layout, product, and test engineering teams.
• Basic digital design skills at the gate level and familiarity with Verilog are an added benefit.

ESS Technology, Inc. offers MSP-BC, Extended Health Care, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D and Life Term benefits.