Electrical Engineer, ASIC Program Lead-CA

Synchron Inc. • San Diego, CA

13d • $160,000 - $200,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Synchron is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer to lead their custom ASIC program. This role is crucial for developing next-generation systems that capture neural signals with high fidelity, power efficiency, and reliability for chronic implants. The ideal candidate will have end-to-end ASIC experience, from concept and specification to design, verification, silicon bring-up, qualification, and production release. The role requires a strong mixed-signal foundation with deep analog expertise in neural analog front-end systems and verification, alongside strong digital experience in data path architecture, multiplexing, serialization, timing, signal integrity, and handling high-channel-count neural data. This individual will collaborate with internal teams (electrical, firmware, signal processing, mechanical, clinical, manufacturing) and external ASIC design/vendor teams to ensure the ASIC meets system-level requirements. The position involves driving requirements, making architecture tradeoffs, reviewing vendor work, leading verification strategy, supporting bring-up and debugging, and translating custom silicon into a production-ready implantable medical device system.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. Advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in electrical engineering, mixed-signal systems, ASIC/SoC development, or high-reliability electronic product development.
• Demonstrated ownership of at least one custom ASIC program from concept and specification generation through verification, silicon bring-up, qualification, and production release. This experience is required.
• Strong analog or mixed-signal background, especially with low-noise analog front ends, sensor interfaces, neural signal acquisition, biopotential measurement, precision instrumentation, ADC interfaces, and microvolt-level signals.
• Strong digital background, including data path architecture, multiplexing, serialization, timing closure concepts, clock domain crossing, low-power digital design, data integrity, and robust high-channel-count data handling.
• Experience reviewing or driving ASIC verification plans, including analog, digital, mixed-signal, and system-level verification.
• Experience working with external ASIC vendors, design partners, foundries, packaging teams, or semiconductor test/manufacturing partners.
• Strong understanding of ASIC development flow, including architecture, specification, RTL/design review, verification, synthesis/timing concepts, DFT, physical implementation review, tapeout, silicon bring-up, characterization, and production test.
• Ability to work across analog, digital, firmware, packaging, PCB, and system boundaries to preserve signal fidelity throughout the acquisition and processing chain.
• Strong lab and debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, precision measurement equipment, and custom test fixtures.
• Experience developing and executing verification plans, test reports, requirements traceability, failure analysis, and corrective actions.
• Familiarity with IEC 60601, ISO 13485, design controls, design history files, risk management, and regulated product development.
• Strong documentation skills and ability to translate complex system needs into clear technical requirements and design specifications.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to lead technical discussions across internal teams, external vendors, and senior leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with implantable, wearable, or high-reliability medical devices.
• Experience with neural recording, bioinstrumentation, electrophysiology, or other low-amplitude physiological signal acquisition systems.
• Experience with ultra-low-power ASICs, low-leakage circuits, sub-microwatt/channel front ends, power domains, and power/performance optimization.
• Experience with mixed-signal designs where isolation, crosstalk, substrate noise, ground bounce, coupling, and packaging parasitics are critical.
• Familiarity with Verilog/VHDL/SystemVerilog, UVM concepts, EDA tools, and ASIC verification methodologies.
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, C/C++, Tcl, or other scripting/programming tools for test automation, modeling, data analysis, or lab characterization.
• Experience supporting production test, yield improvement, reliability testing, accelerated life testing, supplier qualification, or contract manufacturing.
• Experience mentoring senior engineers or leading cross-functional technical teams without requiring formal people-management authority.

Responsibilities

• Lead the custom ASIC program from concept and specification through verification, silicon bring-up, qualification, and production release.
• Own ASIC requirements and architecture tradeoffs across neural signal acquisition, analog front-end performance, digital data path design, power, testability, reliability, manufacturability, and system integration.
• Drive verification strategy for the ASIC and broader electrical system, with emphasis on low-noise AFE performance, high-channel-count data handling, timing, interfaces, and signal integrity.
• Serve as the primary technical interface with ASIC vendors, semiconductor design partners, foundries, packaging partners, and production test resources.
• Lead pre-silicon and post-silicon debugging, characterization, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions across analog, digital, firmware, packaging, PCB, and system boundaries.
• Define and support production test strategy, including DFT/DFM considerations, test coverage, qualification data review, yield improvement, and manufacturing issue resolution.
• Partner with firmware, systems, signal processing, mechanical, clinical, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing teams to ensure the ASIC meets product-level performance and reliability requirements.
• Contribute to design reviews, technical risk assessments, FMEA, verification documentation, regulatory documentation, and design history files.

Benefits

• Subsidized medical and dental insurance coverage for you and your dependent(s)
• Life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability
• 401k
• Discretionary unlimited PTO
• Flexible Spending Account for you and your dependent(s), with eligible plan elections
• Commuter benefits for NY employees

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior