Senior Director of Engineering – SoC Firmware, Silicon Validation & India Site Lead
Location: Bengaluru, India (on-site, hours flexible)
At Ayar Labs, we are shattering AI data bottlenecks by moving data at the speed of light. As pioneers of co-packaged optics (CPO), we are using light instead of electricity to move data faster, further, and with a fraction of the energy needed to fuel the explosive growth of AI models. Backed by industry leaders including NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, Ayar Labs’ optical interconnect technology is enabling the next generation of AI scale-up architectures.
The Senior Director of Engineering will lead SoC Firmware, Silicon Validation, and India engineering site operations for advanced electro-optical SoC products. This role requires a hands-on leader with strong technical depth across silicon productization, post-silicon bring-up, validation, firmware, and manufacturing readiness, combined with the ability to build and scale high-performing global engineering teams.
The ideal candidate is execution-oriented, technically strong, and capable of driving complex programs from development through production in a fast-paced startup environment.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage the India Design Center(IDC) engineering activities.
- Lead end-to-end Silicon development.
Lead SoC Firmware and Silicon Validation teams for advanced silicon products.
- Drive silicon bring-up, debug, characterization, validation, and production readiness.
- Own execution across silicon embedded firmware, post-silicon validation, emulation, DFT/DFX, ATE, and system-level validation.
- Partner closely with ASIC Design, DV, Physical Design, AMS, Packaging, Product Engineering, and System teams.
- Drive end-to-end productization from prototype through qualification, HVM ramp, and customer deployment.
- Build and scale engineering teams across related domains in India.
- Establish strong execution methodologies, operational rigor, and cross-functional alignment.
- Drive root-cause debug across silicon, firmware, and system interactions.
- Mentor engineering managers and senior technical staff while helping grow the India engineering organization.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- 18+ years of semiconductor industry experience with progressive leadership responsibilities.
- Strong experience in: Silicon Embedded Firmware, Post-Silicon Validation, Silicon Bring-up and Debug, SoC Productization, DFT/DFX methodologies, Emulation and System Validation, ATE and Manufacturing Test
- Proven track record delivering complex SoC programs from development through production release.
- Experience building and scaling global engineering teams.
- Strong understanding of the full silicon lifecycle, including design, validation, qualification, and manufacturing ramp.
- Excellent technical leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with networking, AI, data center, or connectivity SoCs.
- Experience leading distributed engineering teams and India engineering sites.
- Strong understanding of silicon debug, qualification flows, and production readiness.
- Experience working with foundries, OSATs, and manufacturing ecosystems.
- Experience with emulation, GLS, DFX, and silicon debug methodologies.
- Patents, publications, or industry-recognized technical contributions preferred.
