Sr. Director, SoC Architecture

Ambiq Micro, Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Ambiq seeks a Senior Director of SOC System Architecture to shape the next generation of ultra-low-power AI SoCs for wearables and intelligent edge devices. You will drive architecture from concept through production, collaborating with Architecture, Hardware, Software, Marketing, and customer teams to deliver significant power and performance gains while extending battery life.

In this senior leadership role, you will define system-level tradeoffs, guide IP selection, and mentor engineers,

Qualifications

• 15+ years of SoC or related architecture experience.
• Experience delivering complex SoCs from concept to silicon.
• Strong understanding of low-power embedded systems for wearables/IoT.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture definition for Ambiq’s next-generation ultra-low-power AI SoCs from concept through production.
• Define system architecture across processors, memory, interconnect, clocking, power management, and hardware accelerators.
• Drive power, performance, area, and system-level tradeoffs for highly constrained embedded devices.
• Develop architecture and microarchitecture specifications, system dataflows, and power/performance models.
• Make key hardware/software partitioning decisions in partnership with software and systems teams.
• Evaluate internal and third-party IP, including AI/ML accelerators, and influence Ambiq’s long-term technology roadmap.
• Partner with design, verification, FPGA, physical design, and software teams to translate architecture into working silicon.
• Work with customers and product teams to understand critical use cases and translate them into future SoC capabilities.
• Support pre-silicon development, silicon bring-up, post-silicon analysis, and production readiness.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship across Ambiq’s architecture and engineering organization.

Skills

SoC architecture

low-power embedded systems

cross-functional leadership

communication skills

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering/CS

Job description

Ambiqis 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.

Ambiq is looking for a Senior Director of SOC System Architecture to help define the next generation of ultra-low-power AI SoCs powering wearables, intelligent edge devices, IoT, and other battery-constrained products.

This is a highly influential technical leadership role with broad ownership of SoC architecture—from early product concepts and architectural tradeoffs through implementation, silicon validation, and production.

You’ll work across Architecture, Advanced Development, Hardware, Software, Marketing, and customer-facing teams to answer a challenging question:

How do we deliver significantly more intelligence and performance at the edge while consuming dramatically less power?

If you’re an experienced SoC architect who wants to stay close to the technology while having a major voice in what gets built next, this is that opportunity.

What You’ll Do

• Lead architecture definition for Ambiq’s next-generation ultra-low-power AI SoCs from concept through production
• Define system architecture across processors, memory, interconnect, clocking, power management, and hardware accelerators
• Drive power, performance, area, and system-level tradeoffs for highly constrained embedded devices
• Develop architecture and microarchitecture specifications, system dataflows, and power/performance models
• Make key hardware/software partitioning decisions in partnership with software and systems teams
• Evaluate internal and third-party IP, including AI/ML accelerators, and influence Ambiq’s long-term technology roadmap
• Partner with design, verification, FPGA, physical design, and software teams to translate architecture into working silicon
• Work with customers and product teams to understand critical use cases and translate them into future SoC capabilities
• Support pre-silicon development, silicon bring-up, post-silicon analysis, and production readiness
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship across Ambiq’s architecture and engineering organization

What We’re Looking For

• 15+ years of SoC, processor, microcontroller, or related system architecture experience
• Proven experience defining and delivering complex SoC architectures from concept through silicon
• Deep understanding of low‑power embedded systems, ideally for wearable, IoT, mobile, or other battery‑powered products
• Strong knowledge of SoC architecture, including:
  • CPU/MCU subsystems
  • Memory architecture and topology
  • Fabric/interconnect
  • Clocking and power management
  • Hardware/software partitioning
  • Power and performance modeling
• Experience creating architecture and/or microarchitecture specifications used by hardware and software engineering teams
• Strong cross‑functional technical leadership and the ability to influence across engineering disciplines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field

Even Better If You Have

• MS or PhD
• Experience with AI/ML accelerators, NPUs, DSPs, GPUs, or heterogeneous compute
• Experience with graphics, display, video, imaging, or computer vision architectures
• Knowledge of Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, NFC, GPS, or other wireless technologies
• Experience with advanced semiconductor process nodes
• Experience with FPGA prototyping and post‑silicon validation

Why Ambiq?

At Ambiq, ultra‑low power isn’t simply another design target—it’s our core technology.

This role offers the opportunity to influence the architecture behind future generations of intelligent edge devices while working directly with senior technical and business leadership.

You won’t be responsible for maintaining someone else’s roadmap.

You’ll help define what comes next.

Work Authorization: Candidates must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer.