Silicon Architect

United States Digital Space LLC; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 198,000 - 233,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Salary package

Health insurance

Paid time off

Parental leave

Wellness program

Job summary

the company, a leading wearable tech innovator in San Francisco, seeks a Silicon Architect to define custom silicon for the next generation of wearable platforms. You will translate product and system needs into silicon requirements and collaborate with semiconductor vendors to shape architecture, roadmap and execution.

This highly collaborative, hybrid role requires deep semiconductor knowledge and 10+ years in architecture or SoC design to drive clear decisions and robust production plans.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in semiconductor definition and architecture for high volume consumer electronics.
• Experience gathering cross-functional requirements and converting them into clear silicon and system specifications.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor development flows: architecture, RTL/design, verification, physical implementation, tape-out, bring-up, characterization, qualification, and ramp.
• Experience working with semiconductor vendors, foundries, design houses, or external partners.
• Deep understanding of low‑power design and optimization, including power modeling and system power trade‑offs.
• Knowledge of CPUs, NPUs, DSPs, memory systems, interfaces, and embedded connectivity.

Responsibilities

• Define and communicate custom-silicon architectures balancing performance, power, size, schedule, cost, and risk.
• Gather requirements from product, hardware, firmware, software, algorithms, sensing, and operations teams and translate into silicon capabilities and targets.
• Partner with silicon vendors to translate system requirements into silicon requirements and drive execution within timelines.
• Lead technical discussions and trade-off decisions with vendors across compute, memory, security, power, packaging, test, and manufacturing.
• Define validation, characterization, bring-up, and production-readiness plans with internal teams and vendors.
• Stay current on emerging semiconductor technologies, process capabilities, and industry trends for wearables.

Skills

Semiconductor architecture

SoC/ASIC development

System architecture

Requirements gathering

Power optimization

Low-power design

Hardware collaboration

Leadership

Tools

RTL design

Verification

Physical implementation

Tape-out

Job description

Our mission at the company is to empower every person to own their inner potential. Our award-winning products help our global community gain a deeper knowledge of their readiness, activity, and sleep quality by using their the company Ring and its connected app. We've helped millions of people understand and improve their health by providing daily insights and practical steps to inspire healthy lifestyles.

Empowering the world starts with living our values and empowering our team. As a quickly growing company focused on helping people live healthier and happier lives, we ensure that our team members have what they need to do their best work — both in and out of the office.

We are looking for a Silicon Architect to join the company’s hardware organization and define the custom silicon that will enable the next generation of our wearable products. In this role, you will gather and synthesize requirements from internal stakeholders, translate product and system needs into clear silicon requirements, and work closely with semiconductor vendors and technology partners to shape the architecture, roadmap, and execution plan for new custom silicon.

This is a highly collaborative role spanning product, engineering, operations, and external silicon partners. The ideal candidate brings strong system-level judgment, deep semiconductor knowledge, and the ability to drive clarity and alignment through technically complex and ambiguous problems. This opportunity will be hybrid in San Francisco.

What You will do:

• Define and communicate custom-silicon architectures for the company’s future wearable platforms, balancing performance, power, size, schedule, cost, and risk.

• Gather requirements from product, hardware, firmware, software, algorithms, sensing, and operations teams, and translate them into silicon capabilities, interfaces, performance targets, and power targets

• Partner with silicon vendors to translate system requirements into silicon requirements, assessing architecture options, and driving execution within product timelines

• Lead technical discussions and trade-off decisions with vendors across compute, memory, connectivity, security, power, packaging, test, and manufacturing considerations.

• Work with internal engineering teams and vendors to define validation, characterization, bring-up, and production-readiness plans.

• Stay current on emerging semiconductor technologies, process capabilities, packaging approaches, and industry trends relevant to wearable health products.

Requirements:

We would love to have you on our team, if you have:

• 10+ years of experience in semiconductor definition and architecture, SoC or ASIC development, or system architecture, for high volume consumer electronics devices

• Experience gathering cross-functional requirements and converting them into clear, measurable silicon and system specifications

• Strong understanding of semiconductor development flows, including architecture, RTL/design, verification, physical implementation, tape-out, bring-up, characterization, qualification, and production ramp

• Experience working directly with semiconductor vendors, foundries, design houses, or other external technology partners

• Deep understanding of low‑power design and optimization, including power modeling, power states, and system‑level power trade‑offs

• Familiarity with compute blocks and accelerators such as CPUs, NPUs, DSPs, as well as memory systems, high‑speed and low‑speed interfaces, and embedded connectivity

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments, organize complex work, make decisions with incomplete information, and drive programs forward

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders and align senior leaders and external partners

• Demonstrated technical leadership, ownership, and ability to influence without direct authority

Benefits

At the company, we care about you and your well-being. Everyone here at the company has a ring of their own and we are continually looking to improve employee health and add to our benefits!

What we offer:

• Competitive salary and equity packages

• Health, dental, vision insurance, and mental health resources

• An the company Ring of your own plus employee discounts for friends & family

• 20 days of paid time off plus 13 paid holidays plus 8 days of flexible wellness time off

• Paid sick leave and parental leave

• Amazing culture of collaborative and passionate coworkers

the company takes a market-based approach to pay, which may vary depending on your location. US locations are categorized into tiers based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. While most offers will be closer to the starting range, successful candidates' pay will be determined based on job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, internal peer equity, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

• Region 1 (SF): $198,050 - $233,000

• Region 2 (SD): $180,200 - $212,000

A recruiter can determine your zones/tiers based on your US location.

the company is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Individuals seeking employment at the company are considered without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.