SoC Architect

About the role

In this capacity, you will define and integrate critical silicon subsystems that form the foundation of the next generation of AI acceleration platforms. The position requires you to translate high-level product requirements into precise technical specifications, effectively bridging the divide between processor design, system integration, and SoC architecture. You will maintain technical ownership of complex interfaces, ensuring coherence across the processor, interconnect, and memory sub-systems. This role involves close collaboration with hardware, software, design, and verification teams to evaluate trade-offs and drive key architecture decisions from initial concept to tape-out. You will influence the full lifecycle of silicon development, encompassing architectural modelling, performance analysis, early validation strategies, and initial bring-up activities. The position demands a high level of technical leadership, where your specifications will serve as the definitive reference for engineering teams throughout the project. You will mentor team members and drive decision-making across multiple functional groups to ensure alignment with product goals. Ultimately, your work will ensure that the SoC architecture meets stringent requirements for performance, efficiency, and reliability in demanding AI workloads.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Specify and integrate complex subsystems for AI silicon devices, ensuring coherence across the entire architectural landscape.
• Collaborate across hardware, software, design, and verification teams to evaluate and drive critical architecture decisions for future products.
• Influence the full lifecycle of silicon development, including architectural modelling, performance analysis, validation methodologies, and initial bring-up procedures.
• Maintain rigorous technical ownership of interfaces, interconnects, and SoC subsystems to guarantee system integrity and performance targets.
• Translate abstract product requirements into concrete technical specifications that provide clear direction for implementation and verification engineers.
• Define verification strategies and testability features that enable efficient validation of complex SoC configurations and operational modes.
• Analyse performance metrics and architectural trade-offs to guide optimization efforts for memory bandwidth, latency, and throughput.
• Act as the primary technical authority on SoC-level interfaces, ensuring compatibility with both internal cores and external system components.
• Partner with software teams to define boot flows, power management schemes, and runtime interfaces that leverage the hardware capabilities effectively.
• Contribute to the development of documentation and reference materials that support integration, debugging, and adoption of the SoC architecture.
• Lead architectural reviews and design discussions, challenging assumptions and proposing improvements based on a deep understanding of silicon constraints.
• Ensure that all subsystem designs adhere to industry standards and best practices for reliability, test coverage, and functional safety where applicable.
• Work closely with design validation teams to develop testbenches and simulation environments that verify the correctness of the integrated SoC.
• Anticipate future product requirements and architect subsystems with extensibility, scalability, and power efficiency as core design principles.

Requirements

• You possess a deep understanding of SoC architecture, computer architecture, or complex silicon systems gained through academic study or professional experience.
• You have a proven ability to author detailed technical specifications that provide unambiguous direction for engineering teams.
• You bring experience with RTL development, logical design, or verification workflows, demonstrating an appreciation for implementation challenges.
• You hold domain expertise in critical connectivity and interface standards such as PCIe, DDR, LPDDR, Ethernet, or on-chip networks.
• You can mentor team members and drive decision-making across multiple groups, fostering alignment and consensus.
• You are capable of analysing complex system behaviors and articulating architectural responses to intricate technical problems.
• You have a strong track record of delivering specifications and designs that meet stringent project timelines and quality standards.
• You communicate effectively with multidisciplinary teams, translating architectural concepts into actionable items for diverse stakeholders.

Skills & tools

• PCIe
• DDR
• LPDDR
• Ethernet
• On-chip networks
• RTL development
• Silicon verification

Practical notes

• Applicants must possess the legal right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• Benefits include up to 5 percent matched pension, phantom equity, income protection, life assurance, and flexible working arrangements.
• Additional optional benefits include private medical insurance, dental cover, a health cash plan, and a cycle to work scheme.
• The office provides free food and an on-site barista.