Principal System Architect

Micron•San Jose, CA

About The Position

The Principal System Architect is a senior technical individual contributor in Micron Technology’s DRAM System and Component Architecture organization. The role leads pathfinding and definition of future DRAM product architectures, translating memory technology roadmaps, anticipated customer requirements, JEDEC standards, industry ecosystem developments, and market trends into system requirements, architecture, detailed development, prototypes, validation evidence, and manufacturing release. The systems and modules involve new memory technologies, high-speed digital and mixed-signal circuitry, analog functions, and power conversion. The position owns technical decisions and trade-offs from concept through engineering transfer and volume manufacturing readiness. It leads customer and enabler architecture work, personally leads prototype bring-up, and owns or supervises risk-based verification, validation, qualification, failure analysis, and release evidence. The role also supports certification, new product introduction, supplier engagement, pilot builds, test coverage, yield improvement, and transfer to manufacturing, while improving development and release processes. The role requires a relevant engineering degree and extensive experience architecting, developing, validating, and shipping electronic systems. Practical expertise is expected in several system domains, including electrical and power, mechanical, thermal, signal and power integrity, and long-term reliability. Experience with memory and storage subsystems, including DDR and PCIe, is strongly preferred. The position is full-time, with a US base salary range of $202,000 to $343,000 per year. Additional compensation may include benefits, bonuses, and equity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering or a closely related field with 15 or more years of proven experience; experience in the memory and storage industry is a plus; or a master’s degree or equivalent experience with 10 or more years of proven experience.
Experience architecting, developing, validating, and shipping memory, storage, compute, networking, or other high-speed electronic systems.
Deep practical experience in some system fields and working proficiency across electrical/power, mechanical, thermal, signal/power integrity, and long-term reliability.
Experience using AI.
The position requires senior-level experience; the posting specifies 15+ years for the bachelor’s-degree pathway or 10+ years for the master’s-degree or equivalent pathway.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the memory and storage industry.
Experience with memory and storage subsystems, including DDR and PCIe technologies.
Proven ownership of at least one product or platform from requirements and architecture through prototype bring-up, qualification, and production launch.
Proficiency with relevant ECAD/MCAD and lifecycle tools such as Cadence OrCAD CIS, Allegro PCB, Allegro SI, SolidWorks, and PLM systems, or comparable toolsets.

Responsibilities

Identify and refine future customer memory needs; derive measurable system requirements, operating envelopes, interfaces, design margins, and acceptance criteria across electrical, mechanical, thermal, signal integrity, power integrity, and reliability domains.
Lead architecture pathfinding activities with customers and enablers.
Architect, design, bring up, characterize, debug, validate, and release complex memory module prototypes.
Own trade-offs and interface decisions from concept through engineering transfer and volume manufacturing readiness.
Lead prototype bring-up and own and supervise risk-based verification and validation plans, margin testing, qualification strategy, failure analysis, and release evidence.
Help apply FMEA, MTBF and reliability prediction, component derating, tolerance analysis, accelerated-life testing, and corrective-action methods.
Support certification, NPI, materials procurement, supplier engagement, pilot builds, test coverage, yield improvement, engineering change control, and transfer from engineering to manufacturing.
Improve architecture, design, review, simulation, prototype, validation, and release methods to increase first-pass success, development speed, traceability, and product quality.
Technically lead multidisciplinary engineers across hardware, SI/PI, mechanical, thermal, reliability, firmware, software, ASIC, media, validation, operations, and manufacturing without relying solely on positional authority.
Build effective working relationships, challenge assumptions constructively, and drive timely decisions using requirements, analysis, simulation, measured data, and documented trade-offs.