Director of Physical Design

Ambiq; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 230,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Ambiq, based in Austin, seeks a Director of Physical Design to lead the physical implementation org for ultra-low-power MCU products. You will guide a global team across floorplanning, CTS, P&R, and sign-off, partnering with architecture, RTL, analog mixed-signal, and production to deliver robust silicon.

The role emphasizes first-silicon success, tight PPA targets, and scalable processes for high-volume embedded applications.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in physical design for complex SoCs.
• At least 5 years in leadership roles.
• Proven track record delivering multiple chips to production.
• Deep expertise in low power design techniques (UPF, clock gating, multi‑Vt, power gating, DVFS, retention).
• Excellent communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the physical design strategy for ultra‑low‑power MCU product lines.
• Lead and mentor a global physical design team.
• Oversee full‑chip and block‑level physical design: floorplanning, power planning, CTS, P&R, timing closure, DRC/LVS, sign‑off.
• Collaborate with architecture, RTL, analog/mixed‑signal, verification, and product engineering to ensure manufacturability and yield.
• Own physical design schedules, resource planning, and risk management; drive tape-out readiness.

Skills

Low power design

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

MCU architectures

Sign-off processes

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Synopsys

Cadence

Mentor

Job description

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 300 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.

Scope

We seek an accomplished Director of Physical Design to lead and scale our physical implementation organization for next-generation, ultra-low-power microcontroller (MCU) products. This strategic, high-impact leadership role drives the physical design roadmap, ensures world‑class PPA (power, performance, area), and delivers robust silicon for high-volume embedded applications.

You will guide a multidisciplinary team across design methodology, physical implementation, and sign-off, partnering closely with architecture, RTL design, analog/mixed‑signal, verification, and product engineering to bring innovative MCU solutions to market.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Define and execute the physical design strategy for low‑power MCU product lines.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing global physical design team.
• Establish best‑in‑class methodologies for low‑power, high‑reliability physical implementation.
• Drive continuous improvement in design flows, automation, and signoff quality, including the use of AI tools.

Physical Implementation

• Oversee full‑chip and block‑level physical design including:
• Floorplanning
• Power planning and low‑power architecture implementation
• Clock tree synthesis (CTS)
• Place & route (P&R)
• Timing closure
• Physical verification (DRC/LVS)
• EM/IR and reliability sign-off
• Power analysis
• Ensure optimal PPA trade-offs tailored for ultra‑low‑power MCU architectures.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with architecture and RTL teams to influence early design decisions.
• Work closely with analog/mixed‑signal teams to integrate mixed‑signal IP into SoCs.
• Collaborate with product engineering and operations to ensure manufacturability and yield.
• Interface with foundries to align on technology capabilities, PDK updates, and design rules.

Execution & Delivery

• Own physical design schedules, resource planning, and risk management.
• Ensure first‑silicon success through rigorous signoff and validation processes.
• Drive tape‑out readiness and support post‑silicon debug.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 15+ years of experience in physical design for complex SoCs, with at least 5 years in leadership roles.
• Proven track record of delivering multiple chips to production.
• Deep expertise in: Low power design techniques (UPF, clock gating, multi‑Vt, power gating, DVFS, retention, etc.), Physical design tools (Synopsys, Cadence, Mentor), Advanced process nodes (40nm → 22nm → 12nm and below), Strong understanding of MCU architectures and embedded system constraints.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Preferred

• Experience with mixed‑signal SoCs and integration of analog IP.
• Background in high‑volume consumer or industrial MCU products.
• Familiarity with security‑focused or safety‑certified MCU designs (e.g., ISO 26262).
• Experience building and scaling distributed engineering teams.

Must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer.