Senior Systems Applications Engineer

Job Title

Senior Systems Applications Engineer

Role Summary

Senior Systems Applications Engineer on the Microprocessor Systems Engineering team in Austin, TX. Work with i.MX application processors and current/emerging DDR memory technologies to support customer design-in, board bring-up, validation, and production ramp.

The role interfaces with customers, memory suppliers, silicon architects, software teams, and product management to solve system-level hardware/software issues and influence future processor and memory subsystem roadmaps.

Experience Level

Senior. The posting requests 5+ years of experience with embedded SoCs or application processors and strong systems-level expertise.

Responsibilities

Accountabilities include technical leadership for system-level integration, memory bring-up, and customer support.

• Serve as technical expert for i.MX processors, DDR memory technologies, and system architecture.
• Support customers through design-in, board bring-up, production ramp, and complex system-level debug.
• Lead evaluation and integration of LPDDR4/4X, LPDDR5/5x, DDR5, and emerging LPDDR6 technologies.
• Collaborate with memory vendors and ecosystem partners to assess memory architectures and platform requirements.
• Debug performance, reliability, power, boot, interoperability, and memory subsystem issues across hardware and software domains.
• Analyze DDR controller, PHY, and high-speed interface behavior to optimize system performance and robustness.
• Support silicon bring-up, characterization, and root-cause analysis for customer and NPI issues.
• Conduct architecture, schematic, and layout reviews; develop reference designs, design guidelines, application notes, and training materials.
• Act as a trusted advisor to customers during product development and deployment.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience necessary to perform the role; preferred skills listed separately.

• 5+ years experience with embedded SoCs or application processors.
• Strong knowledge of DDR memory technologies including LPDDR4X, LPDDR5/5x, DDR5, memory controllers, and PHY architectures.
• Experience with DDR bring-up, training, margin analysis, validation, and debug.
• Experience reviewing high-speed schematics and PCB layouts.
• Strong understanding of hardware/software interactions within embedded systems.
• Experience with Linux, U-Boot, device drivers, and low-level firmware development; proficiency in C.
• Hands-on use of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG debuggers, protocol analyzers, and related debug tools.
• Strong customer-facing communication and technical problem-solving skills.

Nice-to-have

• Experience supporting MPU/Application Processor customers and working directly with memory suppliers.
• Familiarity with LPDDR6, advanced memory architectures, PCIe, UFS, eMMC, Ethernet, USB, MIPI, and other high-speed interfaces.
• Knowledge of signal integrity, power integrity, and system performance optimization.
• Experience influencing SoC architecture, product definition, or platform strategy; familiarity with AI/ML or edge computing applications.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field (as stated in the posting).

About the Company

Company: NXP Semiconductors

Headquarters: Nijmegen, Netherlands

NXP Semiconductors N.V. is a global semiconductor company that provides High Performance Mixed Signal and Standard Product solutions. With over 45,000 employees and operations in more than 35 countries, NXP is a leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, catering to automotive, industrial IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets. The company is committed to innovation and sustainability, advancing a smarter, safer, and more sustainable world through technology.