SVP, SoC Architecture (AI)

SBT; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

SBT is seeking a Head of SoC Architecture in San Francisco to lead the overall SoC and system architecture across multiple silicon programs. You will partner with executive leadership to translate business objectives into actionable silicon roadmaps and drive 0-to-1 architecture development from concept to platform strategy.

The role requires deep experience in high-performance silicon, ownership of multiple chip cycles, and the ability to balance performance, power, area, and cost across

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading high-performance silicon programs.
• Ownership of chip development cycles from definition to production deployment.
• Strong understanding of compute subsystems, memory hierarchy, interconnects, I/O, and power management.

Responsibilities

• Own the overall SoC and system architecture across multiple silicon programs.
• Translate business objectives and product strategy into silicon roadmaps.
• Lead 0-to-1 architecture development from concept to platform strategy.
• Drive architectural tradeoffs across performance, power, area, memory, interconnect, and cost.
• Define hardware/software interfaces and align subsystems.
• Provide technical direction to CPU, RTL, verification, software, and physical design teams.
• Guide programs through architecture, tapeout, bring-up, and production readiness.

Skills

SoC architecture

CPU architecture

System architecture

Leadership

Architectural tradeoffs

Job description

SBT is the exclusive executive recruiting firm for this confidential position.

This confidential startup company is developing next-gen compute silicon, designed to advance AI high-performance computing. Led by seasoned semiconductor and technology executives, the company is building highly scalable SoC products focused on delivering significant improvements in performance, efficiency, and system-level capability. This Head of SoC Architecture role offers the opportunity to contribute to foundational technology, influence product development from an early-stage, and help shape the future of advanced computing.

Role

• Own the overall SoC and system architecture, establishing the technical vision across multiple silicon programs.
• Partner directly with the executive leadership team to translate business objectives, market requirements, and product strategy into actionable silicon roadmaps.
• Lead 0-to-1 architecture development, transforming early product concepts into system specifications, subsystem definitions, implementation plans, and long-term platform strategies.
• Drive architectural decisions and tradeoff analysis across performance, power, area, memory hierarchy, interconnect, scalability, programmability, and system cost.
• Establish clear hardware and software interfaces while ensuring alignment across compute, memory, I/O, security, power management, and other major SoC subsystems.
• Provide technical direction to CPU, SoC, RTL, verification, performance, software, physical design, and silicon validation teams throughout the complete development lifecycle.
• Guide programs from early architecture and performance modeling through implementation, tapeout, silicon bring-up, productization, and production readiness.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in SoC, CPU, accelerator, or system architecture, with demonstrated leadership of complex, high-performance silicon programs.
• Proven ownership of multiple chip development cycles from initial product definition and architecture through tapeout, bring-up, and production deployment.
• Deep understanding of SoC integration, compute subsystems, memory hierarchy, cache coherency, interconnects, I/O, power management, and hardware/software interfaces.
• Demonstrated ability to make system-level architectural tradeoffs across performance, power, area, cost, scalability, reliability, and time to market.
• Ability to provide hands-on technical leadership while building alignment across highly specialized engineering disciplines.