Senior MMIC/RFIC Design Engineer - Technical Lead

*Role Overview *

• Own end-to-end development of RF and microwave integrated circuits from customer or product requirement through circuit architecture, design, layout, verification, GDSII release, silicon characterization and design refinement.
• Lead a small MMIC/RFIC design team while remaining a hands-on circuit designer.
• Work on power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers and other RF front-end / MMIC / RFIC building blocks for communication and sensing applications.
• Translate system-level and customer-level requirements into realizable semiconductor specifications, design decisions and execution plans.

*Key Responsibilities *

• Engage with customers and internal technical leadership to understand application requirements, operating conditions, constraints and acceptance criteria.
• Convert customer and system requirements into circuit-level specifications covering frequency, output power, gain, efficiency, linearity, noise, bandwidth, stability, supply, interfaces, thermal limits and other relevant parameters.
• Perform technical feasibility studies and make architecture, process, performance, schedule and implementation trade-offs.
• Architect and design RF/MMIC/RFIC circuits including power amplifiers, LNAs and related RF front-end blocks.
• Perform linear and nonlinear RF simulation including S-parameter, harmonic-balance, stability, compression, gain, efficiency, noise and large-signal analysis as applicable.
• Design and optimize matching networks, bias networks, RF passives and supporting circuitry.
• Perform or guide EM simulation of critical structures and incorporate coupling, grounding, parasitic and distributed effects into the final design.
• Own or review physical layout with attention to RF performance, current density, grounding, symmetry, coupling, thermal behavior, manufacturability and foundry rules.
• Drive DRC, LVS, EM-aware post-layout verification and all foundry-required design checks through sign-off.
• Own final technical review and GDSII release for fabrication.
• Interface with semiconductor foundries on PDK, model, design-rule, process and tapeout issues.
• Define silicon characterization plans and acceptance criteria; support on-wafer and packaged RF testing as applicable.
• Correlate measured silicon with simulation, identify root causes of deviations and lead corrective design iterations.
• Support customer evaluation, application-fit discussions and technical integration after silicon is available.
• Break product requirements into engineering work packages, assign technical ownership and review execution quality.
• Conduct schematic, simulation, layout and tapeout reviews for other designers.
• Mentor junior engineers and establish disciplined design, verification, documentation and review practices.
• Identify technical risks early and communicate design status, trade-offs and recovery plans clearly to company leadership.

*Required Qualifications *

• B.E. / B.Tech., M.E. / M.Tech., MS or PhD in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, RF/Microwave Engineering, Microelectronics or a closely related field.
• 4-6 years of directly relevant industrial MMIC/RFIC or microwave IC design experience.
• Demonstrated experience taking at least one RF/MMIC design through schematic design, simulation, physical layout, verification and tapeout.
• Strong fundamentals in S-parameters, impedance matching, transmission lines, stability, gain, noise, nonlinear behavior, P1dB, IP3, RF power, efficiency and passive RF structures.
• Hands-on design experience with one or more major RF circuit classes such as power amplifiers, LNAs, drivers, switches, attenuators, phase shifters, mixers or RF front-end circuits.
• Strong proficiency with at least one industry-standard RF/MMIC design environment such as Keysight ADS, Cadence Virtuoso or Cadence/AWR Microwave Office.
• Practical experience with electromagnetic simulation using Momentum, HFSS, EMX, Sonnet, CST or equivalent.
• Working knowledge of PDK-based design, IC layout, DRC/LVS, post-layout verification and foundry tapeout flows.
• Ability to independently analyze complex RF design problems, make sound engineering trade-offs and drive designs to closure.
• Strong technical communication, documentation and design-review skills. Preferred Qualifications
• Hands-on GaN MMIC design experience, particularly GaN-on-SiC.
• Strong power-amplifier design experience, including nonlinear device models, load-pull data and large-signal optimization.
• Multiple successful RF/MMIC tapeouts with measured-silicon correlation.
• Experience in GaAs, SiGe, RF CMOS or other RF semiconductor technologies in addition to GaN.
• Hands-on RF characterization experience using VNAs, spectrum analysers, signal generators, power meters, probe stations and related microwave laboratory equipment.
• Experience working directly with foundries and resolving model, PDK, process or tapeout issues.
• Experience translating customer or system requirements into semiconductor specifications and technical development plans.
• Prior mentoring, technical-lead or project ownership experience. What We Expect From This Role
• Ability to take an initially system-level RF requirement and turn it into a technically sound semiconductor solution.
• Ownership from requirement definition to GDSII and through silicon learning, rather than ownership of only one isolated design step.
• Strong design judgment and the ability to distinguish simulation results from physically realizable, manufacturable RF performance.
• A hands-on leadership style that raises the technical standard of the broader design team