Technical Director of Systems Engineering

MaxLinear; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 192,000 - 254,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary and annual discretionary bonus

Stock-based compensation

Health care benefits

401k savings plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)

Paid time off

Job summary

A semiconductor solutions company is seeking a Technical Director of Systems Engineering in Carlsbad, California. The role involves architecting hardware platforms optimized for performance, requiring expertise in PCIe Gen5/Gen6 protocols and board-level design. Responsibilities include leading design, testing, and compliance processes, along with the management of manufacturing support. Applicants should possess a deep understanding of high-speed board design and significant experience in related fields. Salary ranges from $192,000 to $254,000 annually, with additional benefits.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in PCIe Gen5 and Gen6 protocols and OCP standards.
• Proven track record of high-speed board design, SI/PI analysis, and board-level debugging.
• Experience with compliance testing and certification processes.
• Familiarity with emerging technologies like CXL and UALink is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop cutting-edge hardware platforms.
• Lead the design and development of PCIe, OCP, and EDSFF form factor boards.
• Drive Design Validation Testing (DVT) and Production Validation Testing (PVT) processes.

Skills

PCIe Gen5/Gen6 Protocol Expertise

High-speed Board Design

Compliance Testing

SI/PI Analysis

Excellent Communication Skills

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering or related

13 years of experience

MS degree + 11 years of experience

Ph.D. + 8 years of experience

Job description

Responsibilities

MaxLinear is seeking a Technical Director of Systems Engineering to join our team. You will be responsible for architecting and developing cutting‑edge hardware platforms optimized for high‑performance storage accelerator solutions. This role demands deep expertise in PCIe Gen5/Gen6 protocols, hands‑on debugging, and board‑level design of PCIe, OCP, and EDSFF form factors. You will drive architecture, design, validation, compliance with industry standards, and support of at‑scale manufacturing. In this role, you will focus on the following:

• PCIe Gen5/6 Protocol Expertise & Debugging
  • Serve as the subject matter expert on PCIe Gen5 and Gen 6 protocols and physical layer implementation
  • Conduct hands‑on debugging and root‑cause analysis for development and field issues
  • Provide guidance on emerging interface technologies such as CXL, UALink, and other high‑speed interconnects
• Hardware Design & Development
  • Lead the design and development of PCIe HHHL, OCP 3.0 NIC, and EDSFF form factor boards for high‑volume production
  • Architect and implement high‑speed interface designs, including PCIe Gen5 and OCP‑compliant protocols
  • Perform comprehensive Power Integrity (PI) and Signal Integrity (SI) analysis to ensure robust board‑level performance
• Testing & Validation
  • Drive Design Validation Testing (DVT) and Production Validation Testing (PVT) processes
  • Develop and execute thermal test plans in collaboration with an internal team as well as third‑party thermal labs
• Compliance & Certification
  • Ensure hardware designs meet industry standards and certifications including FIPS, RoHS, and other relevant regulatory requirements
• Manufacturing Support
  • Own and manage Functional Circuit Test (FCT) and In‑Circuit Test (ICT) processes
  • Lead RMA analysis and work closely with customers and manufacturing teams to resolve board‑level issues

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in PCIe Gen5 and Gen6 protocols and OCP standards
• Proven track record of high‑speed board design, SI/PI analysis, and board‑level debugging
• Experience with compliance testing and certification processes
• Familiarity with emerging technologies like CXL and UALink is a strong plus
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• BS in Electrical Engineering or related + 13 years of experience, or MS + 11 years of experience, or Ph.D. + 8 years of experience

Compensation And Benefits

MaxLinear has a Total Compensation philosophy which includes base salary and annual discretionary bonus eligibility and many positions also include stock‑based compensation. MaxLinear's good faith estimate starting base salary range is: $192,000 to $254,000 annually.

We offer competitive benefits designed to support employee health, welfare, and retirement, and some highlights are: health care benefits, 401k savings plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and paid time off.

The actual starting base salary will be determined by the match to certain role‑related criteria such as educational degree(s) or equivalent, relevant work experience, skillset needed for the role, and geographic location; this is not an all‑inclusive list as some roles may require unique skills or experience.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on race, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.

Company Overview

MaxLinear is a global, NASDAQ‑traded company (MXL) where the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. We are a fabless system‑on‑chip product company, striving to improve the world’s communication networks for everyone through our highly integrated radio‑frequency (RF), analog, digital, and mixed‑signal semiconductor solutions for access and connectivity, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multi‑market applications.

We hire the best people in the industry and engage them in some of the most exciting opportunities that connect the world we live in today. Our growth has come from innovative, bold approaches to solving some of the world’s most challenging communication technology problems in the most efficient and effective manner.

MaxLinear began by developing the world’s first high‑performance TV tuner chip using standard CMOS process technology. Others said we couldn’t achieve the extremely high‑performance requirements using CMOS, but we proved them wrong and achieved enduring global market leadership with our designs. Since then, we’ve developed a full line of products that drive 4G and 5G infrastructure; enable data center, metro and long‑haul optical interconnects; bring 10Gbit to the home; power the IoT revolution; and enable robust and reliable communication in harsh industrial environments. Over the years, we’ve expanded through organic growth and through several acquisitions that have perfectly complemented our existing portfolio and enabled us to deliver complete end‑to‑end solutions in our target markets. One such example was the acquisition of Intel’s Home Gateway Platform Division that added Wi‑Fi, Ethernet, and Broadband Gateway Processor SoC technology to our connected home portfolio creating a complete and scalable platform of connectivity and access solutions to fully address our customers’ needs.

Our headquarters are in Carlsbad, near San Diego, California. We also have major design centers in Irvine and San Jose, California; Valencia, Spain; Bangalore, India; Munich, Germany; Israel; and Singapore.

We have approximately 1,200 employees, a substantial majority of whom have engineering degrees and include masters and Ph.D. graduates from many of the premiere universities around the world. Our employees thrive on innovation, outstanding execution, outside‑the‑box thinking, nimbleness, and collaboration. Together, we form a high‑energy business team that is focused on building the best and most innovative products on the market.