Director of IC Design

Science is a clinical stage, vertically integrated technology company focused on solving some of neuroscience’s hardest questions and most serious unmet medical needs. We work to restore quality of life to those with debilitating conditions for which there are no treatment options, creating devices aimed at restoring vision, cognition, and mobility to patients who have lost it. To support progress across our industry, we provide state-of-the-art components and vertically integrated infrastructure for others to build on via Science Foundry.

We are developing a novel optical interconnect for interfacing with the brain and seeking an experienced ASIC designer with strong background in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, solid track-record in bringing advanced silicon products from idea to product insertion.  As the Director of IC Design at Science, candidate should be able to lead of talented IC designers, and not just by management by also leading the way by example through technical challenges and uncertainties, that come naturally when you tackle unmet problems in the intersection of biology, biomedical, and implantable circuits.  As the Director of the IC Design, you will translate broad needs into Silicon specs, develop strategies, and execute them technically with the IC design team and work with other related groups to make sure that developed chips get inserted into products with success.  While this role requires very strong technical skills and a good track record with many successful tapeouts, it also requires guiding team members, helping them to grow along the projects, paving the way towards solutions of the next big challenge Science is tackling.  Ideal candidate should also have strong digital circuit design skills, as most of the chips we develop gets implanted, where size, power, ease of use are very critical, and to achieve all these, we need to integrate more and more custom digital features in our chips.  

Role responsibilities:

• Define Silicon development strategies that line up with the company’s product development goals


• Work with other groups and teams in the company (Biology and Microfabrication) to translate the multi-disciplinary product requirements into design specifications for chips


• Define key features and architectures of the new chip designs.  From specifications to tapeout and bring-up, own all the major steps.


• Mentor the team, using real design examples.  Delegate as much responsibility as possible to the design team, and guide them to help them succeed in their current assignments.  Help them to grow for their next roles.


• Perform detailed project planning and scheduling.  Define milestones, technical review meetings, and deliverables.  Track the progress during design and testing.  The main goal in all these should be to endure on-time tapeout with first-time-Silicon-success.


• When the team starts struggling due to time pressure or hard to solve technical challenges, support your team by spending time with them to understand and solve the problem.  If necessary, help the team by showing some alternatives at schematic, simulation, or layout levels.


• Interface chip foundries / brokers, OSATs, and other service providers to fabricate chips or boards and get the parts tested / packaged.

Key qualifications:

• MSc or PhD in Electrical Engineering, with 10+ years direct design experience as mixed signal IC designer, and additional 5+ years of experience as manager in the same field.


• Solid background in transistor level analog and mixed-signal circuit design using CMOS technologies, from schematics to layout.


• Solid understanding of active and passive devices available in mixed-signal CMOS technologies.


• Experienced in low-noise and low-power circuit design, including voltage references, biasing circuits, opamps, comparators, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), analog to digital converters (ADCs)


• Experience in noise amplifier (LNA) circuits used in high-fidelity analog front ends to detect very weak signals.


• Experience in transistor level digital circuit design from schematics to layout using schematic and RTL capture.


• Experience in simulating and verifying analog and mixed-signal designs in terms of DC, AC, transients, and noise performance using industry standard Spice like simulators.


• Experience programmable timing generation using Delay-Locked-Loops (DLLs), Phase-Locked-Loops (PLLs), and high-speed counters.


• Experience in high-speed serial data transmit and receive, using serializers and de-serializers, using low-voltage differential signalling (LVDS) transmitters and receivers


• Fluency in high-level circuit modelling using Verilog-A and Verilog for mixed-signal and digital circuits


• Experience in full-chip functional verification using Verilog-A and Verilog


• Familiarity with all the laboratory tools and equipment used for chip bring-up and characterization starting from wafer probing to packaged device testing

Preferred qualifications: 

• Experience digital circuit design from RTL to GDS is a plus


• Familiarity with open-source analog and digital IC design tools is a plus


• Familiarity with FPGA programming for chip testing and IP verification / emulation

Salary/Pay Range:

Science is required under California law to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role.  We determine your level based on your interview performance and make an offer based on the indicated salary band. The base salary range for this full-time position is $200,000 -$275,000 annually + equity + benefits. Within the range, individual pay is determined by several factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please keep in mind that the equity portion of the offer is not included in these numbers.

Benefits: 

At Science, our benefits are in place to support the whole you:

• Competitive salary and equity


• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance


• Flexible vacation and company-paid holidays


• Healthy meals and snacks provided onsite


• Paid parental, jury duty, bereavement, family care and medical leave


• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, subsidized by Science


• Flexible Spending Account


• 401(k)

Science Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a supportive and inclusive workplace where contributions are valued and celebrated, and our employees thrive by being themselves and are inspired to do their best work. 

We seek applicants of all backgrounds and identities, across race, color, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, or disability. Applicants will not be discriminated against based on these or other protected categories or social identities. Science will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.