Lead Custom Design Engineer

Job Title

Lead Custom Design Engineer

Role Summary

Lead a small custom-design team responsible for high-performance custom digital compute or SRAM memory blocks used in Synthara's compute-in-memory SRAM (ComputeRAM®). You will own architecture, circuit design, verification, silicon correlation, and delivery of production-grade blocks for advanced nodes (down to 5 nm and below).

The role requires close collaboration with full-custom layout, digital, backend, DFT, test, and product teams to deliver reliable, manufacturable IP and to improve design methodology and automation.

Experience Level

Senior — 7+ years of experience in custom digital, analog, or memory design with leadership experience guiding small teams and cross-functional integration.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities focus on end-to-end ownership of custom memory or datapath blocks from specification through silicon, and on raising team capability and delivery consistency.

• Define product specs, PPA targets, verification depth, and quality criteria for new SRAM variants and adjacent custom blocks.
• Design and verify memory or datapath subsystems (sense amps, drivers, multipliers, adders, register files, timing/control FSMs, etc.).
• Engineer for advanced process nodes: address variation, stability, noise/IR, device reliability, and low-power behaviors in FinFET and FDSOI technologies.
• Specify clear digital interfaces, timing budgets, and handshake protocols to integrate custom blocks into mixed-signal flows.
• Plan silicon bring-up, build characterization benches, analyze ATE data, and produce correlation and errata reports with fixes.
• Specify and validate redundancy/repair schemes and work with DFT (MBIST/Scan) to define production test plans.
• Partner with layout on floorplans, matching, shielding, routing topologies, and early EM/IR fixes.
• Coach designers, run technical reviews, enforce checklists, and develop automation (Python/Tcl) for regressions and reporting.

Requirements

Must-have skills, experience, and traits required to perform the role.

• 7+ years of relevant experience in custom digital, memory, or analog design with production-grade ownership and silicon correlation.
• Proven record of delivering production functional blocks with sign-off and silicon validation.
• Deep understanding of high-performance and low-power circuit design on FinFET/FDSOI nodes (stability, variation, leakage, performance).
• Experience leading and mentoring a small team and coordinating with layout, digital, backend, DFT, and test.
• Strong written and verbal communication, structured documentation, and a quality-first mindset.
• Ability to define verification depth, PPA trade-offs, and practical test strategies for production.

Education Requirements

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field is required/preferred; equivalent practical experience is acceptable. The role expects significant hands-on experience (7+ years) in custom design and silicon bring-up.

About the Company

Company: Synthara

Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland

Synthara develops ComputeRAM® hardware and software for efficient on-device AI, providing compilers, drivers, SDKs and tooling to enable AI workloads from microcontrollers to accelerators, with a focus on hardware/software co-design and developer usability.