Non-Volatile Memory Circuit Design Engineer
A growing, privately held semiconductor design engineering firm specializing in custom integrated circuit (IC) layout, analog circuit design, and technology development is seeking a Non-Volatile Memory Circuit Design Engineer to join its expanding team. Established in 2004, the company partners with leading clients across the medical device, defense, and other advanced technology industries, providing end-to-end IC design expertise from initial architecture through production readiness. With approximately 50 employees, a strong base of long-standing clients, ISO 9001 certification, and a newly achieved Secret-level facility clearance, the firm is expanding its capabilities in secure government and defense-related projects.
About the Role
Non-Volatile Memory Circuit Design Engineer. This is an opportunity to become the company's first dedicated non-volatile memory designer, take ownership of critical technical work, and potentially build and lead a team as the organization continues to grow.
Responsibilities
- Day-to-Day Responsibilities:
- Lead non-volatile memory (NVM) circuit design and architecture, including chip-level architecture, circuit development, and simulation.
- Independently design and develop critical memory circuits, including sense amplifiers, write circuits, and decoders.
- Contribute to additional memory design functions such as address transition detection (ATD), self-timed sensing, charge pumps, and redundancy circuitry.
- Lead technical decision‑making while remaining actively involved in hands‑on circuit design, with approximately 70% of the role dedicated to design execution and 30% focused on architecture, design reviews, and test planning.
- Develop and present design reviews, test plans, and silicon characterization strategies.
- Support post‑silicon bring‑up, debugging, characterization, and productization efforts.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional teams spanning analog design, IC layout, and quality to deliver complete custom ASIC solutions.
- Apply industry‑standard Cadence and Synopsys design flows, along with scripting tools as needed, to support efficient design development and verification.
- Serve as the technical pioneer for NVM design within the organization, with the opportunity to mentor future team members and build a dedicated team as the business grows.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) or a related field; a master’s degree is not required.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to meet applicable ITAR requirements.
Required Skills
- Typically 10+ years of professional integrated circuit design experience, with the majority focused on hands‑on memory circuit design; exceptionally strong candidates with 7–8 years may be considered.
- Demonstrated personal design ownership of non‑volatile memory circuits in a commercial engineering environment—not solely academic, simulation, testing, characterization, or support experience.
- Required hands‑on design experience with sense amplifiers, write circuits, and decoders.
- Strong expertise in Cadence and/or Synopsys IC design flows and a thorough understanding of silicon development tools, processes, and best practices.
- Solid understanding of analog and digital/mixed‑signal circuit design, along with strong analytical, debugging, and communication skills.
- Ability to contribute to chip‑level architecture, design reviews, test planning, and post‑silicon productization.
Preferred Skills
- Preferred experience with additional NVM technologies, including NOR/NAND Flash, MRAM, and ReRAM/RRAM; process nodes ranging from 180nm through FinFET; and advanced memory circuit development.
- Experience with ATD, self‑timed sensing, charge pumps, redundancy, RTL design, design verification, DFM, or DFMEA is a plus.
- Programming or scripting experience with Python, PERL, SKILL, or TCL is beneficial.
- Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative, humble, and self‑motivated approach to technical problem‑solving.