RISC-V System IP Design Lead

Job Title

RISC-V System IP Design Lead

Role Summary

Lead design and delivery of system IP (RISC-V/ARM) for SoC platforms, owning microarchitecture, RTL implementation, and coordination with verification and physical-design teams. Work within the Systems Engineering team to meet performance, power, timing, and integration targets.

Experience Level

Senior - typically 8+ years of IP/SoC or hardware engineering experience; qualification-based alternatives are listed under Education Requirements.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include:

• Define and drive microarchitecture and system-level interfaces for processor/IP subsystems.
• Develop and maintain synthesis-ready RTL (Verilog/SystemVerilog) and ensure design quality.
• Collaborate with verification, DFT, physical design and system teams to achieve timing closure and silicon readiness.
• Manage SoC dependencies, plan and track front-end design tasks, and drive project milestones.
• Perform design reviews, support silicon bring-up and debug activities.
• Ensure convergence across architecture, synthesis, timing, and verification flows.
• Mentor and lead engineers; communicate status and risks to stakeholders.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience:

• Strong digital design and RTL development experience (Verilog/SystemVerilog).
• Practical knowledge of RISC-V or ARM ISA and CPU architecture, including coherency protocols.
• Hands-on SoC/IP design experience and familiarity with interconnect concepts (AXI/ACE/CHI/NoC).
• Experience with synthesis and timing closure flows (e.g., Synopsys DC), DFT, and verification methodologies.
• Familiarity with linting, CDC analysis, PLDRC, static timing tools and formal verification techniques.
• Experience with silicon debug, cross-team integration, and delivery tracking.
• Strong planning, project-management, communication, and leadership skills.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with virtualization support in CPU/IP or platform-level virtualization features.
• Specific toolchain experience (Synopsys tools) or prior SoC integration on advanced process nodes.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field. The posting lists multiple qualification pathways: for example, combinations such as Bachelor's + ~4–6+ years, Master's + ~3–5 years, or PhD + ~2+ years of relevant Systems/IP/Hardware engineering experience. Equivalent practical experience may be considered.

About the Company

Company: Qualcomm

Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States

Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.