Technical Director PCIe Controller Architect

Rambus; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 352,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

401(k) matching

Stock purchase plan

Medical benefits

Time off

Job summary

Rambus is seeking a PCIe Controller Architect and Technical Director to lead architecture for high-performance PCIe products in a hybrid work environment. The role reports to the VP of Engineering and focuses on delivering PCIe controller solutions for data centers and AI workloads.

You will own architecture specs, work with product, design, and field teams, and drive reviews to ensure top-tier performance, reliability, and differentiation in a fast-growing market.

Qualifications

• BS/MS with 20+ years in semiconductor industry, at least 10 years on PCIe controller logic design/architecture
• Hands-on RTL coding, logic design, DV techniques
• Knowledge of PCIe and AXI protocols; CXL knowledge a plus
• Knowledge of front-end ASIC development flow and best practices
• Strong communication skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness to travel to Rambus sites and customer locations

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture specification for Rambus PCIe controller products
• Collaborate with product management, product marketing, field organization and customers to understand feature priorities
• Define implementation-friendly, high-performance and PPA-optimized products with timelines
• Drive technical reviews (implementation, verification, PRD/ERD)
• Represent the SIP team at PCI-Sig and other standards bodies
• Incorporate innovative features to establish leadership on PCIe products
• Protect Rambus innovations via patent disclosures
• Publicize Rambus PCIe products through publications and events
• Provide architectural solutions to customers to grow Rambus SIP PCIe business
• Train field teams with marketing and product management teams

Skills

RTL coding

logic design

DV techniques

PCIe & AXI protocols

front-end ASIC flow

strong communication

team collaboration

Education

BS/MS in Electrical Engineering or related

Job description

Overview

Rambus, a premier chip and silicon IP provider, is seeking to hire an exceptional PCIe Controller Architect and Technical Director to join our Silicon IP (SIP) team. Candidates will be joining some of the brightest inventors and engineers in the world to develop products that make data faster and safer.

In this role, the candidate will be reporting to the VP of Engineering. This is a full-time leadership position as an individual contributor. You will architect highly reputed, high-performance, cutting-edge PCIe controller products for data centers and AI applications. This is a fast-growing market with high demand from tier-1 customers which gives ample opportunity for innovation and differentiation. If you like challenges and want to make a technical difference in the high-speed interface technology landscape during these exciting times in the semiconductor industry, this is the right opportunity for you.

Location can be flexible for the right candidate. San Jose, California or Hillsboro, Oregon, US are preferred. Rambus offers a flexible work environment, embracing a hybrid approach for most of our office-based roles. We encourage employees to spend an average of at least three days per week working onsite, allowing for two days of remote work.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture specification for Rambus PCIe controller products
• Work closely with product management, product marketing, technical field organization and customers to understand feature priorities and market needs.
• Work closely with logic design, verification and physical design teams to define implementation-friendly, high performance and PPA optimized products and realistic timelines.
• Actively drive technical reviews including implementation review, verification review, PRD/ERD review
• Represent the SIP team at PCI-Sig and other relevant standards bodies
• Collaborate with various Rambus teams to incorporate innovative and differentiated features to establish clear leadership on PCIe products
• Protect Rambus innovations through patent disclosures
• Evangelization of Rambus PCIe controller products through technical publications and industry events
• Act as the technical expert to provide architectural solutions to customers to grow Rambus SIP PCie business
• Empower field teams through product training in collaboration with marketing and product management teams

Qualifications

• BS/MS with 20+ years’ experience in semiconductor industry, with at least 10 years on PCIe controller logic design and/or architecture. IP experience is preferred.
• Hands‑on experience with RTL coding, logic design, physical design and DV techniques.
• Knowledge of PCIe and AXI protocols and controllers. CXL protocol knowledge will be a plus.
• Knowledge of front-end ASIC development flow and best practices
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent soft skills and collaborative mindset to work with cross functional teams
• Ability to make timely decisions based on available data
• Technical presales experience is desirable
• This role involves deep technical skills and domain expertise while also requiring excellent soft skills
• Ability to travel to Rambus sites as well as customer locations as required

About Rambus

Rambus is a global company that makes industry-leading memory interface chips and Silicon IP to advance data center connectivity and solve the bottleneck between memory and processing. With over 30 years of semiconductor experience, we are a leading provider of high-performance products and innovations that maximize the bandwidth, capacity and security for AI and other data-intensive workloads. Our world-class team is the foundation of our company, and our innovative spirit drives us to develop the cutting‑edge products and technologies essential for tomorrow’s systems.

Rambus offers a competitive compensation package including base salary, bonus, equity, matching 401(k), employee stock purchase plan, comprehensive medical and dental benefits, time‑off program, and gym membership.

The US salary range for this full-time position is $189,700 to $352,300 . Our salary ranges are determined by role, level and location. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, work location and market conditions.

At Rambus, we are committed to fostering a workplace where every individual is respected, supported, and empowered to succeed. We value a range of perspectives and experiences that contribute to innovation and collaboration. Our goal is to ensure that all team members have equitable access to opportunities, resources, and a sense of belonging. We believe that a culture of fairness and inclusion helps us all do our best work .

Rambus is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Rambus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans during our job application procedures. If you require assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please feel free to inform us in your application.

Rambus does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies or fee‑based recruitment services.

For more information about Rambus, visit rambus.com. For additional information on life at Rambus and our current openings, check out rambus.com/careers/ .