Principal Engineer, RFIC Design (WIFI)

pSemi Corporation is a Murata company driving semiconductor integration. pSemi builds on Peregrine Semiconductor's 30-year legacy of technology advancements and strong IP portfolio but with a new mission-to enhance Murata's world-class capabilities with high-performance semiconductors. With a strong foundation in RF integration, pSemi's product portfolio now spans power management, connected sensors, optical transceivers, antenna tuning and RF frontends. These intelligent and efficient semiconductors enable advanced modules for smartphones, base stations, personal computers, electric vehicles, data centers, IoT devices and healthcare. From headquarters in San Diego and offices around the world, pSemi's team explores new ways to make electronics for the connected world smaller, thinner, faster and better.

Job Summary

This position is responsible for the design and commercialization of advanced RF Front End ICs for pSemi's RF product division. Specifically this position leads the development activities of WIFI Power Amplifiers and Front-End Modules for medium to high power CPE and Access Point applications (20-30 dBm and 2-8 GHz).

Principal engineers are expected to work with a high level of autonomy, identifying and requesting resources to finish their projects. This position will build and lead teams of engineers to develop their product line, exercising independent judgment in methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results. In addition to their technical role they are expected to train and mentor more junior engineers. This positon will oversee advanced developments extending the technical capabilities of the company.

This position requires the ability to independently define development plans and arrange for resources to execute to the plan. A successful individual will have a thorough understanding of RF circuit design and the ability to direct and coordinate activities necessary to complete major projects, requiring a wide variety of technical skills. The individual must have demonstrated experience in RF circuit analysis, design, test, product development, and mass production product releases. As part of a cross functional development team, the candidate will interact with other essential disciplines including Marketing, Process Technology Development, Device Modelling, Test Engineering and Manufacturing.

Roles & Responsibilities

This position has responsibility for:

• Product Definition: Assist Marketing in defining new products and roadmaps through feasibility studies and technical competitive analyses
• Product Design and Evaluation: Schematic Capture, IC layout, Simulation, Package Analysis, Evaluation Board Design, Design Validation, and mentoring junior engineers
• Product Documentation: Document all relevant product and design information to educate others on novel design techniques and provide guidance on product usage
• Product Characterization: Work with Characterization and Test Engineers to define, conduct and analyze data from product performance characterization
• Production ATE Development: Work with Test Engineers to define, develop and ramp production ATE solutions
• Product Support: Work with Applications, Product, Test and Manufacturing Engineers to help answer customer questions, assess field failures, support yield improvements, etc.
• Technology Development: work with Technologists to define the technology roadmap, addressing the performance and functional requirements of the product roadmap
• Team leadership: Recruit and build team of engineers; provide technical mentoring to junior design team members; help design manager with resource planning and cross functional team efforts
• Push the boundaries of pSemi's existing technology and provide guidance to the company for where to direct future efforts

Knowledge, Skill and Competency Requirements

Competency is based on: education, training, skills and experience. In order to perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and competencies:

• Critical Thinking : Skilled at finding logical flaws in arguments and plans; identifies problems and solutions that others might miss; provides detailed insight and constructive criticism into problems and complex situations
• Working with Ambiguity : Achieves forward progress in the face of poorly defined situations and/or unclear goals; able to work effectively with limited or partial information.
• Displaying Technical Expertise : Keeps his/her technical skills current; effectively applies specialized knowledge and skills to perform work tasks; understands and masters the technical skills, knowledge, and tasks associated with his/her job; shares technical expertise with others
• Driving for Results: Aggressively pursues challenging goals and objectives; will to put in considerable time and effort to accomplish objectives; takes a highly focused, goal driven approach toward work
• Making Accurate Judgments and Decisions : Bases decisions on a systematic review of relevant facts and information; avoids making assumptions or rushing to judgment; provides clear rationale for decisions

Minimum Qualifications (Experience and Skills)

• 15 years of RF/Analog IC product development with strong technical skills including:
  • Developing innovative PA architectures supporting linear output power in the range of 20 to 30 dBm for 802.11ax standard using advanced high power semiconductor technologies
  • Demonstrated experience designing and launching high power WIFI power amplifier products to high volume mass production including all aspects of IC and module design
  • Experience in design, debug and optimization of power amplifiers and Front End Modules in the lab using standard lab equipment with experience and understanding of device and product characterization with hands-on experience in RF testing on the bench
  • Must have good insight into the best process/ foundry to use, as well as insight into the PA and other RFICs design at the front-end module level
  • Familiarity with analog & RF IC layout techniques
  • Hands on use of RF measurement equipment to validate performance
  • Software tools: Cadence, ADS, EM software, Matlab, JMP

Preferred Qualifications

• Strength in documentation clarity and completeness
• Ability to clearly assess and manage risk
• Team player with a strong sense of urgency to meet product requirements on schedule
• Demonstrated leadership and development of technical teams of engineers

Minimum Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (or equivalent field); MSEE (or equivalent field) preferred

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.

pSemi Corporation supports a diverse workforce and is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for applicants and employees. pSemi does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or breastfeeding), gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver's license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, legally-protected medical condition, military or veteran status (including "protected veterans" under applicable affirmative action laws), marital status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal laws applicable to the Company. pSemi also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that an employee or applicant has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.

Note: The Peregrine Semiconductor name, Peregrine Semiconductor logoand UltraCMOS are registered trademarks and the pSemi name, pSemi logo, HaRP andDuNE are trademarks of pSemi Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. pSemi products are protected under one or more of the following U.S. Patents: http://patents.psemi.com