Innovation Manager

Cirrus Logic; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Cirrus Venture Labs is Cirrus Logic's startup-to-business-unit incubation engine seeking an Innovation Manager to own emerging technology ventures from discovery through prototyping and incubation, shaping both technology and business vision with autonomy.

You will build partnerships, recruit talent, and work with internal and external partners to turn bold ideas into scalable businesses, identifying opportunities across Physical AI, edge computing, sensing, and power delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field.
• Minimum 7 years in technical product leadership or entrepreneurial roles.
• Strong hardware/software systems knowledge and architecture.
• Autonomy in ambiguous environments with end-to-end ownership.
• Experience advancing emerging technologies in semiconductors, software, or embedded systems.
• Experience negotiating external partnerships and licensing.

Responsibilities

• Own emerging technology ventures from discovery to incubation.
• Lead identification and prioritization of high-impact opportunities.
• Prototype and validate disruptive technologies with internal/external partners.
• Develop investment proposals and secure internal funding.
• Build relationships with lighthouse customers and startups.
• Assemble and lead cross-functional teams across engineering, product, and business.

Skills

Venture leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Entrepreneurial mindset

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Job description

Are you a big thinker, innovator, problem seeker, and natural leader with a strong technical foundation and business acumen? Do you thrive on ambiguity, autonomy, and operating as the founder of a startup? Are you energized by identifying high-impact problems, assembling the right talent and partnerships, and turning bold ideas into new businesses? Cirrus Venture Labs (CVL) may be the place for you.

Cirrus Venture Labs is Cirrus Logic's dedicated startup-to-business-unit incubation engine, focused on developing disruptive, scalable, and monetizable innovations that solve high-impact industry problems. Our vision is to be a globally recognized innovation engine that positions Cirrus Logic to repeatedly shape and transform semiconductor markets. We do so by empowering customers to deliver innovative solutions that would otherwise not be possible. CVL operates through a unique decentralized model that combines focused technology incubation, cross-functional engineering teams, strategic partnerships, and external ventures to accelerate the development of foundational technologies and silicon-centric business models in markets new to Cirrus Logic.

Our innovation interests span the rapidly evolving intersection of the physical and digital worlds, including Physical AI, edge computing and algorithms, intelligent sensing and sensor networks, data center power infrastructure, and advanced control and drive systems. We seek opportunities to leverage Cirrus Logic's strengths in mixed-signal processing, power, sensing, and embedded systems while building new capabilities through external partnerships and technology incubation.

As an Innovation Manager (IM), you will operate as an internal founder, taking ownership of emerging technology ventures from problem discovery and opportunity definition through prototyping, business validation, and incubation toward scale. You will be responsible for shaping the technical and commercial vision, identifying critical assumptions, securing the resources and partnerships needed to accelerate development, and building conviction around opportunities with the potential to create new product categories and businesses. You will work with considerable autonomy, leveraging internal engineering teams, startups, customers, industry experts, and external partners to transform ambitious hypotheses into validated, commercially compelling innovations.

Key Responsibilities

• Venture Leadership & Ownership: Act as the founder and directly responsible individual for emerging technology ventures, owning their vision, strategy, execution, and progression from early exploration through incubation and business-unit transition.
• Innovation Funnel Management: Lead the identification, assessment, and prioritization of high-impact industry problems and emerging technology opportunities, leveraging Cirrus Logic's core competencies while exploring new capabilities and markets.
• Technology & Market Exploration: Investigate emerging opportunities across Physical AI, edge intelligence, sensor networks, advanced power delivery, control systems, and other technologies bridging the physical and digital worlds.
• Collaboration & Prototyping: Mobilize internal engineering teams, startups, customers, and external experts to rapidly prototype and validate disruptive technologies, architectures, and applications.
• Impact & Value Assessment: Develop compelling technology and business hypotheses, assess market potential and differentiation, define critical assumptions and success criteria, and drive evidence-based investment decisions.
• Strategic Partnerships & Deal Execution: Identify, structure, negotiate, and help close external technology partnerships, co-development agreements, licensing arrangements, and strategic collaborations that accelerate technology development and reduce execution risk.
• Venture Funding & Resource Development: Develop investment proposals, secure internal funding and resources, and explore creative external funding and partnership models to accelerate technology development and maximize capital efficiency.
• Customer & Ecosystem Engagement: Build relationships with lighthouse customers, startups, venture investors, academic institutions, and industry experts to validate unmet needs, identify emerging technologies, and establish strategic collaborations.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Assemble and lead multidisciplinary teams across engineering, research, product, and business functions, aligning stakeholders and resources around shared venture objectives.
• Stakeholder Communication: Develop compelling narratives, business cases, and investment recommendations, communicating venture progress, risks, opportunities, and strategic value to senior leadership and stakeholders.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Educational Background: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience: Minimum of 7 years in technical product leadership, technology development, engineering leadership, or entrepreneurial roles, with experience advancing emerging technologies in semiconductors, software, embedded systems, or related industries.
• Technical Expertise: Strong technical foundation in hardware and/or software systems and architectures, with demonstrated depth in at least one relevant domain and the ability to rapidly develop working knowledge across unfamiliar technologies.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Demonstrated ability to operate with autonomy in ambiguous environments, formulate technology and business hypotheses, make informed decisions under uncertainty, and take end-to-end ownership of outcomes.
• Innovation & R&D Leadership: Proven ability to identify high-impact problems, evaluate nascent technologies, define technical and commercial success criteria, and advance concepts through prototyping and validation.
• Business & Commercial Acumen: Ability to assess market opportunities, competitive differentiation, business models, investment requirements, and commercialization pathways for emerging technologies.
• External Partnerships & Negotiation: Experience developing and negotiating commercial or technical agreements with external organizations, including technology licensing, joint development, strategic partnerships, or other collaborative arrangements.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Proven ability to influence, mobilize, and lead multidisciplinary teams across engineering, research, product, and business functions without relying solely on direct organizational authority.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional ability to translate complex technical and business concepts into compelling narratives, investment proposals, and actionable recommendations for technical teams, external partners, and executive leadership.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Advanced Degree: Master's or Ph.D. in a relevant technical discipline, or an MBA with a strong technical foundation.
• Relevant Technology Domains: Deep experience in one or more areas including Physical AI and edge ML algorithms, embedded compute architectures, intelligent sensing and distributed sensor networks, data center power infrastructure, power electronics, robotics, or advanced control and drive systems.
• Startup & Venture Experience: Experience founding, building, or leading early-stage technology ventures, or participating in corporate incubation, venture studios, or new business creation initiatives.
• Strategic Deal Making: Demonstrated experience structuring and closing technology partnerships, co-development agreements, licensing arrangements, or strategic investments, including familiarity with IP rights, exclusivity, funding milestones, and commercial terms.
• Technology Scouting & Ecosystem Engagement: Established network and experience engaging with startups, venture capital firms, universities, research institutions, and emerging technology ecosystems.
• Rapid Prototyping & Incubation: Experience leading agile, cross-disciplinary development teams to rapidly test technical hypotheses, validate customer needs, and advance early-stage concepts toward scalable products.
• Business Development & Investment: Experience developing business cases, financial models, investment proposals, and commercialization strategies for new technologies or emerging markets.