Post-Silicon Validation, Senior Manager

Synopsys, Inc.; Hillsboro (OR); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Synopsys, Inc. seeks a seasoned engineering manager to lead a team of validation and characterization engineers focused on UCIe die‑to‑die interface IP. You will own end‑to‑end silicon characterization, drive sign‑offs, and manage lab budgets and staffing, balancing multiple programs and customer commitments.

You will lead with hands‑on technical depth, mentor engineers, and ensure proactive risk communication to leadership and customers across on‑site and remote engagements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering with 10+ years of related experience or advanced degree with 8+ years.
• Demonstrated people management in a silicon or hardware organization with hiring and performance management.
• Hands-on post-silicon characterization, validation, and debugging of high-speed mixed-signal IP.
• Working knowledge of the UCIe specification and the die-to-die ecosystem, including PHY and D2D adapter layers; deep high-speed SerDes background
• Experience owning R&D lab operations, including capital equipment planning and high-speed instrumentation
• Familiarity with validation software and automation development across Python, C, and C++, to set direction and evaluate tradeoffs
• Proven track record engaging major customers on technical matters, including silicon bring-up support and issue escalation

Responsibilities

• Lead and directly manage a team of validation and characterization engineers for UCIe-based die-to-die IP.
• Own end-to-end silicon testchip characterization from plan to sign-off.
• Oversee lab operations, budget, headcount, and equipment investments.
• Coordinate on-site and remote customer bring-up and issue triage.
• Set standards for characterization execution, measurement, and sign-off criteria.
• Escalate critical silicon issues with clear risk communication.
• Collaborate with customers on technical engagements and program planning.

Skills

People management

Characterization

UCIe expertise

Lab operations

High-speed SerDes

Python/C/C++ automation

Customer engagement

Education

Electrical or Computer Engineering degree

Tools

Oscilloscopes

BERTs

Spectrum analyzers

Network analyzers

Job description

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

You Are

You have spent years in the lab, oscilloscope probes in hand, hunting down signal integrity issues that make the difference between a chiplet link that trains and one that does not. Managing people came later, but you never stopped being an engineer first. You know what good characterization data looks like because you have collected it yourself, and you can tell when a measurement setup is lying to you before anyone else in the room notices.

Leading a team means you care as much about building the methodology as hitting the milestone. You think about how to make the next testchip bring up faster than the last one, not just whether it passed. When a customer calls with a silicon issue, you are the person who can triage it in real time, decide whether to send someone on-site, and explain the risk to leadership without sugarcoating it.

You have managed budgets, headcount, and lab equipment purchases. You have hired engineers and coached them through career pivots. You understand that the hardest part of this job is not the technical depth, it is making sure the right work happens at the right time with the right people, even when three programs need the same engineer next week.

At Synopsys, you will own the silicon data behind UCIe IP releases and the customer relationships that depend on it being right.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead and directly manage a team of validation and characterization engineers supporting UCIe-based die-to-die interface IP, including hiring, performance management, goal setting, and career development
• Own the characterization and validation of internal silicon testchips end to end, from characterization plan definition through data collection, correlation to simulation and design intent, datasheet parameter confirmation, and silicon sign-off
• Own the customer silicon bring up and debug mission, including sideband and mainband link training, lane repair and reversal, degraded mode operation, and chiplet interoperability, delivered through remote and sometimes on-site lab engagement
• Oversee operational and functional objectives for the group and allocate personnel resources to meet schedules and goals, balancing internal testchip programs against customer commitments that arrive with little notice
• Exercise responsibility for costs, methods, and staffing, including headcount planning, lab capital equipment investment, and the build versus buy decisions behind validation infrastructure and automation
• Establish the standards and methodologies governing characterization execution, measurement and correlation practice, silicon sign-off criteria, and customer lab engagement
• Own the escalation path for critical silicon issues, ensuring the right technical depth is applied and that program and customer risk is communicated early and accurately

The Impact You Will Have

• Own the silicon data behind Synopsys' UCIe die-to-die interface IP release decisions, enabling the multi-die and chiplet-based systems our customers are building
• Deliver operational results that directly affect department targets, including sign-off schedules, silicon respin avoidance, and time-to-market for new IP
• Ensure every testchip yields the characterization data the business needs the first time, rather than discovering gaps after the lab window has closed
• Ensure customer silicon comes up quickly and field issues are resolved before they escalates, protecting both customer launches and Synopsys' technical reputation
• Allocate the people, lab capacity, and equipment investment that determine what the organization is capable of characterizing
• Build a team whose depth and methodology outlast any single program or silicon generation
• Shape how the business approaches characterization of next-generation UCIe data rates, packaging technologies, and chiplet topologies

What You'll Need

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering with a minimum of 10 years of related experience, or an advanced degree with a minimum of 8 years of related experience
• Demonstrated people management experience in a silicon or hardware engineering organization, including hiring, performance management, and technical career development
• Extensive hands-on background in post-silicon characterization, validation, and debug of high-speed mixed-signal interface IP, with working knowledge across several related areas such as analog and digital design, firmware, packaging, or product engineering
• Working knowledge of the UCIe specification and the die-to-die ecosystem, including PHY and D2D adapter layers, link training, and standard versus advanced packaging tradeoffs; deep high-speed SerDes background is applicable
• Experience owning R&D lab operations, including capital equipment planning and the high-speed instrumentation used for characterization: oscilloscopes, BERTs, spectrum analyzers, and network analyzers
• Familiarity with validation software and automation development practice across Python, C, and C++, sufficient to set direction and evaluate technical tradeoffs
• Proven track record engaging major customers on technical matters, including silicon bring up support and issue escalation

Who You Are

• A leader who applies extensive knowledge of characterization and validation, plus several related engineering areas, to decisions that affect the whole program
• A hands‑on engineering manager who has done the lab work and has not lost the instinct for it
• An operator who can hold schedule, cost, and staffing accountable at the same time without losing technical credibility
• A clear communicator who can brief senior management on risk honestly and early, and influence others in sensitive situations
• A trusted counterpart for major customers, able to negotiate on matters of significance while protecting the technical truth
• A developer of engineers who invests in methodology, tooling, and people so that capability compounds

The Team You'll Be Part Of

Your recruiter will share more about the team structure and mission during the interview process.

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non‑monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.