Cirrus Logic

Title: Validation & Characterization Engineering Manager Job Description: Location: Austin, TX (Hybrid) Global Operations – Global Operations / Full Time For over four decades, Cirrus Logic has been propelled by the top engineers in mixed-signal processing. Our rockstar team thrives on solving complex challenges with innovative end-user solutions for the world’s top consumer brands. Cirrus Logic is also known for its award-winning culture, built on a foundation of inclusion and fairness, meaningful community engagement, and delivering enjoyable employee experiences at every turn. But we couldn’t do it without our extraordinary workforce — and that’s where you come in. Join our team and help us continue to make Cirrus Logic an exceptional place to grow your career! As a Validation & Characterization Engineering Manager, you will lead, develop, and mentor a team of engineers responsible for specification-based validation, characterization, and production test correlation for mixed-signal ICs. This role supports a broad portfolio of high-performance mixed-signal products across consumer and mobile applications, ensuring robust silicon performance from first silicon through high-volume production. You will play a critical role in driving validation execution, measurement rigor, and data-driven decision-making, working closely with IC design, systems, and product test teams to deliver production-ready solutions. Responsibilities Build, lead, and scale a team of validation and characterization engineers supporting multiple product lines. - Provide technical leadership and mentorship across specification-based validation, characterization, and silicon debug. - Drive execution of validation plans to ensure comprehensive specification coverage, margin analysis, and traceability. - Establish best practices for test methodology, measurement accuracy, and experimental design, ensuring high-quality and repeatable results. - Partner closely with Product Test Engineering to ensure strong correlation between lab validation results and ATE measurements, including definition of test limits, guard-bands, and production readiness. - Define and track KPIs and metrics to improve validation efficiency, coverage, and data quality. - Guide the team in analyzing large and complex datasets, extracting meaningful insights, and making data-driven decisions. - Lead debugging of complex silicon, system, and measurement issues, including cross-domain interactions (analog, digital, and test infrastructure). - Collaborate with IC design, systems, applications, and product test teams to resolve issues and align on requirements. - Drive continuous improvement of validation methodologies, automation frameworks, and data analysis workflows. - Ensure clear and consistent communication of technical status, risks, and execution plans to cross-functional teams and senior leadership. - Support hiring, onboarding, and development of engineers across multiple experience levels. - Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and data-driven engineering within the team. Requirements / Qualifications BS in Electrical or Computer Engineering with 7+ years of relevant experience in validation, characterization, or production test, including 2+ years of people management experience. - Strong technical background in mixed-signal IC validation and characterization, including audio and/or power management devices. - Deep understanding of test and measurement techniques, including error sources, calibration, accuracy, and repeatability. - Experience designing and executing experiments for performance characterization, including corner analysis, margining, and statistical evaluation. - Proven experience with data analysis and interpretation, including large dataset handling and use of tools such as JMP, Spotfire, or Excel. - Experience supporting or partnering with production test engineering, including test correlation, guardbanding, and yield analysis. - Hands-on experience with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, signal generators, audio analyzers, power measurement equipment, PXI systems). - Experience with automation and scripting (Python preferred) and validation/test infrastructure development. - Demonstrated ability to lead teams, mentor engineers, and drive execution across multiple projects. - Strong problem-solving and debug skills across silicon behavior, measurement systems, and test environments. - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence across cross-functional teams. Preferred Skills / Abilities: - Experience with audio IC validation (CODECs, amplifiers) and/or power management ICs (LDOs, SMPSs, battery charging). - Familiarity with ATE platforms and high-volume manufacturing test flows. - Experience defining validation methodologies, measurement standards, or data analysis best practices across teams. - Background in PCB design, signal integrity, power integrity, or low-noise measurement techniques. - Experience with statistical analysis methods for characterization and production correlation. - Prior experience leading teams through product ramp and production release.

For over four decades, Cirrus Logic has been propelled by the top engineers in mixed-signal processing. Our rockstar team thrives on solving complex challenges with innovative end-user solutions for the world's top consumer brands. Cirrus Logic is also known for its award-winning culture, which was built on a foundation of inclusion and fairness, meaningful community engagement, and delivering enjoyable employee experiences at every turn. But we couldn’t do it without our extraordinary workforce – and that’s where you come in. Join our team and help us continue to make Cirrus Logic an exceptional place to grow your career! Cirrus Logic is a fabless semiconductor company delivering high-precision analog and mixed-signal ICs for some of the world's most demanding applications. We are at an exciting inflection point — actively diversifying our business beyond our core markets, with automotive as a primary growth vector. This role is central to that effort. The Senior FAE is a customer-facing technical leader with a primary focus on automotive accounts across the Americas. Beyond automotive, this person will also play an active role in helping Cirrus Logic identify and execute on broader diversification opportunities — working alongside the sales team to engage new markets and customers where our technology can win. You will work at the intersection of applications engineering, strategic selling, and product marketing — serving as the technical authority for customers and a key feedback channel to Cirrus Logic's business units. This is not a reactive support role. We expect this person to proactively identify platform opportunities, shape customer architectures early in the design cycle, and close designs before the competition does. Customer Engagement & Design Win Execution - Own technical relationships at target automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and broad-market customers across the Americas - Lead system-level architecture discussions for automotive audio and mixed-signal applications, including codecs, amplifiers, haptics, and precision analog - Identify and influence key technical buying decisions early in the design cycle — before reference platforms are locked - Create and deliver compelling technical presentations, application notes, and proof-of-concept evaluations that accelerate customer design-in - Provide hands-on applications support through schematic review, layout guidance, firmware bringup, and real-time debug Automotive-Specific Responsibilities - Engage directly with automotive OEM system architects and HW/SW engineers on next-generation platform architecture decisions - Support high-priority automotive platform pursuits as the technical lead for the Americas - Translate customer platform requirements and competitive gaps into structured product feedback for Cirrus Logic business units — influencing roadmap prioritization and new product definition - Collaborate with Cirrus Logic automotive product teams to align roadmap to customer platform timelines and production schedules - Monitor the competitive landscape and bring differentiated technical positioning into customer conversations Broad Market & Diversification - Identify and engage emerging customer opportunities outside of automotive — helping the team validate where Cirrus Logic's technology can create value in new markets - Identify disruptive customers and platform shifts; push market intelligence back to Cirrus Logic business units to influence roadmap - Develop reusable technical collateral that scales the team's impact across accounts, and feed structured market and customer insights back to Cirrus Logic business units to shape roadmap decisions Cross-Functional Collaboration - Serve as the voice of the customer with product marketing, BU engineering, and executive leadership — translating field intelligence into actionable product definition input - Partner with Account Managers on account planning, pipeline development, and executive engagement - Work within a structured strategic selling framework to qualify opportunities, map buying influences, and advance deals - Log all technical activities, design win milestones, and competitive intelligence in Salesforce CRM Required Skills and Qualifications - 7+ years of experience in applications engineering, FAE, or systems engineering roles in the semiconductor industry - Deep hands-on expertise in analog/mixed-signal ICs — audio, power management, precision sensing, or related domains - Direct automotive customer engagement experience — OEM or Tier 1, ideally in infotainment, audio, or power electronics systems - Proven track record of influencing platform architecture decisions and closing design wins in complex B2B sales cycles - Strong lab skills: oscilloscopes, signal analyzers, embedded firmware debug, schematic and layout review - Ability to synthesize customer and market feedback into clear, actionable product definition input for internal engineering and marketing teams - Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline Preferred Skills and Qualifications - Experience with emerging automotive architectures such as 48V systems, zonal distribution, or next-generation infotainment platforms - Familiarity with automotive functional safety requirements and qualification processes - Curiosity about and exposure to markets beyond automotive — consumer, industrial, or adjacent applications where analog/mixed-signal ICs are relevant - Experience working cross-functionally with product marketing or BU engineering teams to influence product roadmaps - Experience with Salesforce CRM and strategic account planning methodologies #LI-CC1 #LI-HYBRID Export control restrictions based upon applicable laws and regulations would prohibit candidates who are nationals of certain embargoed countries from working in this position without Cirrus Logic first obtaining an export license. Candidates for this role must be able to access technical data without a requirement for an export license. We are unable to sponsor or obtain export licenses for this role. Cirrus Logic strives to select the best qualified applicant for any opening. Different approaches, ideas and points of view are both valued and respected. Employment decisions are made on the basis of job-related criteria without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

• Host driver integration of Cirrus CODEC, smart amplifier, and other audio IC products into Windows-based consumer applications (e.g. PC) • Lead the triage and debug of Windows system integration issues on customer PC hardware platforms, working with peers and third parties • Act as the primary technical support contact for major customers on software-related issues, and lead onsite visits as needed • Develop tools and scripts for integration unit testing and stress testing • Define and implement various use-case profiles into host driver platforms • Create technical reports for customers, and document project issues for Cirrus HQ in English