Staff Engineer, Post Silicon Validation

Job Description

The FPGA Prototyping & Post-Silicon Validation Engineer is responsible for enabling early system validation and ensuring silicon functionality through FPGA-based prototyping and comprehensive post-silicon validation. This role bridges pre-silicon and post-silicon phases by driving FPGA emulation of key features, executing system bring-up, and validating silicon across use cases and operating conditions. The engineer will partner closely with RTL, Design, Verification, and Software teams to debug issues, ensure functional correctness, and drive product quality to tapeout and production readiness.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and maintain FPGA-based prototyping platforms to validate SoC/IP features and system behaviour
• Use FPGA to emulate real-world scenarios, enabling early feature validation and faster debug cycles
• Perform post-silicon bring-up, validation, and debug at chip, board, and system levels
• Define and execute validation plans, ensuring coverage of features, corner cases, and system scenarios
• Validate functionality, performance, and interfaces across different operating conditions (PVT, use-case scenarios)
• Debug issues across hardware, firmware, and system-level interactions, working closely with cross-functional teams
• Develop test programs, automation scripts, and validation frameworks (Python/C/C++)
• Use lab equipment (oscilloscope, logic analysers, power supplies, etc.) for validation and debug
• Analyse validation data, root-cause failures, and drive issue closure to signoff
• Support evaluation board bring-up and system integration activities
• Drive validation efficiency through automation, reuse, and standardization
• Communicate validation progress, risks, and results to stakeholders

Qualifications

• 4–10 years of experience in FPGA prototyping, post-silicon validation, or mixed-signal/SoC validation
• Strong understanding of digital design fundamentals, SoC/embedded system architecture
• Hands-on experience with FPGA development or FPGA-based system validation
• Exposure to Verilog/SystemVerilog and FPGA tool flows is preferred
• Experience in post-silicon validation, board bring-up, and hardware debugging
• Familiarity with interfaces/protocols such as I2C, SPI, UART, PCIe, Ethernet, etc.
• Experience using lab equipment and debugging techniques
• Strong debugging skills across hardware + firmware + system-level issues
• Experience in developing validation plans, test cases, and automation frameworks
• Proficiency in Python/C/C++ for test automation and data analysis
• Ability to own validation of complex features from bring-up to closure
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work across global teams

Nice to Have

• Experience with hardware emulation/prototyping platforms (e.g., FPGA boards, Zebu, Palladium, Veloce)
• Exposure to pre-silicon verification or RTL development flows
• Knowledge of embedded software/firmware (Linux, bare-metal)
• Experience in board design, schematics, or hardware bring-up
• Familiarity with automotive or functional safety standards (e.g., ISO 26262)
• Experience in building automation frameworks or regression environments

Additional Information

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose ‘To Make Our Lives Easier.’ As the industry’s leading expert in embedded processing with unmatched quality and system-level know-how, we have evolved to provide scalable and comprehensive semiconductor solutions for automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT industries based on the broadest product portfolio, including High Performance Computing, Embedded Processing, Analog & Connectivity, and Power.
 
With a diverse team of over 21,000 professionals in more than 30 countries, we continue to expand our boundaries to offer enhanced user experiences through digitalization and usher into a new era of innovation. We design and develop sustainable, power-efficient solutions today that help people and communities thrive tomorrow, ‘To Make Our Lives Easier.’     
 
At Renesas, you can: 

• Launch and advance your career in technical and business roles across four Product Groups and various corporate functions. You will have the opportunities to explore our hardware and software capabilities and try new things.  

• Make a real impact by developing innovative products and solutions to meet our global customers' evolving needs and help make people’s lives easier, safe and secure. 

• Maximize your performance and wellbeing in our flexible and inclusive work environment. Our people-first culture and global support system, including the remote work option and Employee Resource Groups, will help you excel from the first day.    

Are you ready to own your success and make your mark?  

Join Renesas. Let’s Shape the Future together.  

Renesas Electronics is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, committed to supporting diversity and fostering a work environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For more information, please read our Diversity & Inclusion Statement.