Principal SoC Development Platform Engineer

We are seeking an exceptional Principal SoC Development Platform Engineer to architect and build next-generation, AI-native software development environments for advanced semiconductor platforms. As part of Cirrus Logic Venture Labs, this role will help shape the software foundations for emerging intelligent edge computing solutions.

A successful candidate will bridge SoC architecture, compiler technologies, embedded software, AI-driven development tools, and secure cloud infrastructure to create integrated, scalable developer platforms. A key focus will be simplifying complex hardware/software development workflows while enabling secure collaboration across customers, technology partners, and third-party software providers.

Central to this role is the development of secure, multi-tenant development environments and end-to-end software lifecycle management, ensuring the protection of proprietary software, algorithms, models, and intellectual property from development through deployment on silicon.

We are looking for a hands-on architect and builder with deep expertise in compilers and SoC software development, broad systems thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset. This individual will be a foundational member of a small, highly capable team, with the autonomy and ownership to architect, implement, and deliver new capabilities from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

Compiler and Heterogeneous Compute Architecture

• Architect a unified compilation and deployment framework spanning embedded firmware, DSP algorithms, ML models, and FPGA RTL configurations.
• Develop and integrate compiler frontends, intermediate representations, optimization passes, backends, and runtime frameworks targeting heterogeneous compute resources.
• Collaborate with silicon architects to optimize instruction sets, custom operators, accelerator interfaces, memory architecture, workload partitioning, and system-level power, performance, and area (PPA).
• Establish common abstractions for execution, interoperability, and data movement across CPUs, DSP engines, ML accelerators, and configurable logic.

AI-Native Development and Toolchain Automation

• Build a headless, AI-agent-driven development platform that transforms natural-language application intent into compiled, validated, and deployable hardware/software pipelines.
• Leverage LLMs and agentic workflows to automate code generation, workload partitioning, compiler optimization, build orchestration, simulation, testing, and debugging.
• Integrate heterogeneous programming environments into a unified toolchain, from application and model development through executable binaries and programmable-logic configurations.
• Establish reproducible, deterministic build and validation processes while using AI to accelerate development and optimization.
• Integrate compilation, simulation, debugging, profiling, and validation into a unified, AI-orchestrated development workflow that accelerates development from concept to deployable artifacts.

Secure Multi-Tenant Cloud Platform and Software Lifecycle

• Architect and own a secure, cloud-native, multi-tenant development environment supporting collaboration among Cirrus, third-party software IP providers, and customers.
• Establish an end-to-end secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) encompassing IP onboarding, development, compilation, integration, simulation, validation, artifact signing, secure distribution, deployment, and lifecycle updates.
• Design strong tenant isolation, identity and access controls, encryption, secrets management, and protected build and execution environments to safeguard proprietary source code, ML models, and algorithms.
• Establish software provenance, integrity verification, secure boot and provisioning interfaces, and chain-of-trust mechanisms extending from cloud development infrastructure to execution on silicon.
• Enable controlled collaboration, debugging, profiling, and system-level simulation across vendor boundaries while maintaining confidentiality, access restrictions, and auditable software supply chains.

Technical Leadership and Execution

• Partner closely with SoC architects, ML engineers, DSP specialists, embedded software teams, and security experts to shape the hardware/software platform architecture.
• Evaluate and integrate open-source and commercial compiler frameworks, AI development technologies, simulation platforms, and secure cloud infrastructure.
• Drive architectural decisions, develop working prototypes, and establish the technical foundation for a scalable third-party developer ecosystem.
• Operate autonomously in an early-stage innovation environment, balancing long-term architectural vision with rapid experimentation and execution.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent technical expertise, with 10+ years of relevant experience in compiler development, embedded systems, heterogeneous computing, or developer platforms.
• Compiler and Hardware Architecture: Deep knowledge of compiler design, code generation, optimization, runtime systems, and processor microarchitecture, with hands-on experience in LLVM, MLIR, GCC, or comparable compiler infrastructure.
• Embedded and Heterogeneous Computing: Strong experience with ARM embedded development and exposure to DSP programming, ML inference deployment, accelerator mapping, and FPGA development flows.
• Secure Cloud Development: Experience architecting cloud-native developer platforms, multi-tenant infrastructure, secure build environments, CI/CD pipelines, and software supply-chain security.
• Software Security and Lifecycle: Understanding of secure software development practices, workload isolation, cryptographic signing, software provenance, trusted execution, secure deployment, and protection of third-party intellectual property.
• AI and Automation: Demonstrated experience applying LLMs, AI agents, and automated engineering workflows to software development, compilation, testing, or complex toolchain orchestration.
• Software Engineering: Strong proficiency in C/C++, Python, APIs, SDKs, build systems, and distributed development infrastructure.
• Systems Leadership: Proven ability to architect and deliver complex, cross-disciplinary systems, operate independently, and influence decisions spanning silicon, software, security, and customer experience.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

• Experience developing compilers, runtimes, or programming environments for NPUs, AI accelerators, DSPs, GPUs, or custom processor architectures.
• Familiarity with ML compilation and deployment frameworks such as TVM, IREE, ONNX, TensorFlow Lite, or PyTorch.
• Experience with FPGA synthesis, hardware/software co-simulation, virtual platforms, and performance modeling.
• Experience designing secure multi-party development platforms, confidential computing environments, hardware roots of trust, or protected IP distribution ecosystems.
• Background in semiconductor startups, emerging compute architectures, developer ecosystems, or early-stage technology incubation.

What Success Looks Like

A successful candidate will establish the software foundations that make advanced compute platforms more accessible, programmable, and scalable. They will translate complex technical challenges into intuitive, robust development capabilities that accelerate innovation, simplify integration, and improve developer productivity.

Success will be measured by the ability to bring together diverse hardware and software technologies into cohesive, secure, and efficient development workflows, enabling rapid experimentation, seamless collaboration, and a streamlined path from concept to deployment.

Our ambition is to fundamentally simplify how developers engage with advanced computing platforms, removing technical barriers and accelerating the journey from innovation to real-world applications.