Senior Principal System Architect (System Architect, Custom Silicon)

Job Title

Senior Principal System Architect (System Architect, Custom Silicon)

Role Summary

Lead definition, architecture and technical strategy for complex semiconductor products (ASICs, SoCs, MCUs and related systems) from concept through production. Work across hardware, software, verification, validation and product engineering teams to translate customer and market requirements into scalable system-level architectures.

This is a senior technical leadership role responsible for system partitioning, architecture tradeoffs, IP strategy, performance and power modeling, and mentoring other architects.

Experience Level

Senior-level. Preferred 18+ years of relevant experience; proven record of delivering complex semiconductor products and leading large cross-functional engineering teams.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include defining and delivering system architecture and driving cross-team technical alignment.

• Lead end-to-end system architecture from concept through production.
• Translate customer and market requirements into system-level architectures and technical specifications.
• Define product partitioning across hardware, software, firmware, security and system management.
• Specify performance, power, area, cost, reliability, safety and scalability requirements.
• Drive decisions for processors, memory, interconnects, security, networking, storage and peripherals.
• Perform architecture tradeoff studies balancing performance, power, cost, schedule and risk.
• Define use cases, workloads, operating modes, performance models and validation criteria.
• Own requirements management, traceability and architecture documentation.
• Drive IP strategy: evaluate/select third-party IP, integrate and align roadmaps.
• Lead technical reviews, architecture signoffs and risk mitigation across programs.
• Mentor architects and senior technical contributors; act as primary technical interface for customers and executive stakeholders.
• Support safety, environmental and security requirements and contribute to long-term technology roadmaps.

Requirements

Core technical and leadership qualifications required for the role.

Must-have

• Proven track record defining and delivering complex semiconductor products from architecture through production.
• Experience in system architecture for ASICs, SoCs, MCUs, networking, automotive, aerospace or data infrastructure products.
• Deep understanding of processor architectures, memory hierarchies, interconnect fabrics and security architectures.
• Experience developing architecture specifications, requirements frameworks and performance models.
• Hardware/software co-design experience and familiarity with RTL design, verification, DFT, physical design, software and validation workflows.
• Ability to perform complex tradeoff analysis involving power, performance, area, cost, reliability and schedule.
• Strong customer-facing communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated leadership of large cross-functional engineering teams.

Nice-to-have

• Experience with third-party IP ecosystems, standards bodies and industry specifications.
• Familiarity with functional safety, cybersecurity and reliability requirements for mission-critical applications.
• History of first-pass silicon success and global engineering collaboration (including US and India).

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or a related discipline is listed as required. Preferred qualifications mention a Master’s degree or PhD in those fields.

About the Company

Company: GlobalFoundries

Headquarters: Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

GlobalFoundries is a leading contract manufacturer for the global semiconductor industry, with facilities in multiple countries, including the USA. The company develops a broad portfolio of semiconductor technologies and employs around 13,000 people worldwide. GlobalFoundries focuses on enhancing competitiveness in specialized application solutions and fostering innovation in mobile communications, consumer electronics, and automotive applications.