Vice President, Engineering

About InspireSemi 

At InspireSemi, we’re not just building chips; we’re revolutionizing high-performance computing. Our groundbreaking architecture packs thousands of 64-bit CPU cores onto a single chip, all seamlessly connected. We’re driven by a mission to make HPC more accessible, energy-efficient, and easier for developers to harness. Ready to build the engineering foundation and culture that will bring this revolutionary technology to life? Join our passionate team!

Why Join InspireSemi? 

Be the Builder: You won’t just inherit a team; you’ll design, staff, and scale the entire engineering organization (Hardware, Software, Validation, Tools) from a startup core into a world-class technology powerhouse.
Define the Culture: You will be the primary driver of our engineering culture, establishing processes and high bar for excellence across all technical disciplines.
Own the Technology Stack: You will have complete ownership of the engineering roadmap, ensuring seamless execution from silicon tape-out to developer SDK and customer deployment.
Exponential Growth: Seize significant growth and development opportunities, with the opportunity to build out a team as the company scales.
Rewarding Compensation: We offer a highly competitive salary, significant bonus potential, and meaningful equity that reflects the foundational impact of this role.

The Opportunity 

We are searching for an exceptional, hands-on VP of Engineering with deep experience managing both large-scale silicon development (SoC/ASIC) and software engineering (SDK, compilers, tools, firmware). This leader must possess the technical acumen to command respect from senior engineers and the motivational leadership to unite diverse technical teams toward a single, ambitious vision. You will be responsible for the technical output, operational efficiency, and overall health of the engineering organization.

What You’ll Do: 

Your role will span Organizational Leadership, Technical Strategy, and Execution Excellence:

Organizational Leadership & Culture

Scale the Organization: Design, recruit, mentor, and retain a world-class engineering team spanning SoC Design, Software, Verification, Physical Design, Firmware, Drivers, SDK, Compilers, and Tools.
Build a Cohesive Culture: Foster a unified, high-performance engineering culture characterized by accountability, collaboration, urgency, and technical rigor across hardware and software boundaries.
Budget & Resource Planning: Manage the engineering department’s budget, external vendor relationships, tool procurement, and strategic resource allocation.

Technical Strategy & Process  

Own the Roadmap: Partner with the CEO, CTO, COO and Product team to translate the company vision into a clear, achievable engineering roadmap, milestones, and deliverables for both silicon and software.
Define Best Practices: Establish and enforce best-in-class engineering processes, standards, and methodologies (e.g., agile for software, rigorous tape-out flows for hardware) to ensure predictability and quality.
Cross-Functional Alignment: Serve as the chief liaison between Engineering, Product, Sales, and Operations, ensuring that technical decisions align with business goals and customer needs.

Execution & Delivery  

Drive Silicon Success: Ensure the successful, on-time delivery of multiple generations of our revolutionary SoC architecture, managing the high-risk, high-reward nature of deep-submicron tape-outs.
Accelerate Software Adoption: Oversee the development of a robust and developer-friendly Software Development Kit (SDK), tools, and documentation essential for customer integration and developer success.
Maintain Quality: Implement rigorous validation and testing strategies for both hardware and software, maintaining a high bar for product quality, stability, and performance.
Dual-Focus Execution & Mentorship: Drive execution as a senior individual contributor when needed, seamlessly blending direct technical contributions with strategic management and the development of engineering talent across both hardware and software disciplines.

What You Bring 

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
12+ years of progressive engineering leadership experience, including at least 5+ years at a Director or VP level managing multiple, diverse functional groups.
Dual-Discipline Expertise: Proven ability to lead and manage large teams across both ASIC/SoC/CPU development and deep-tech software development (e.g., compilers, operating systems, SDKs, or high-performance libraries).
Technical Credibility: Deep understanding of the full silicon development lifecycle, from architecture and RTL to physical design, tape-out, and production.
Startup DNA: Experience operating within a fast-paced, high-pressure startup environment, managing ambiguity, and making high-stakes decisions with imperfect information.
Communication & Motivation: Exceptional ability to communicate vision, motivate senior technical staff, and resolve complex organizational and technical conflicts.
Cadence EDA Toolchain Mastery: Expert, hands-on experience with the Cadence EDA suite, specifically mastering front-end and physical synthesis tools like Innovus, Genus, and Conformal, with proven ability to optimize flows.
Organizational Scaling and Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead and scale technical teams, including direct management experience and successfully growing an organization through significant growth phases.

Bonus Points 

Experience delivering products based on RISC-V or other custom CPU architectures.
Previous experience managing global/distributed engineering teams.
Direct involvement with industry-standard EDA tools, licensing, and workflow automation.

If you are a visionary engineering leader ready to set the technical standard and build the engine that powers the next generation of HPC, we want to hear from you!