Senior Validation and Characterization Engineer - Global Operations - Austin, Texas, United States
Originally posted 22 January 2026 by the employer.
Lead silicon validation and characterization for audio CODECs, amplifiers, haptics, and power management ICs.
About the role
Cirrus Logic is seeking a Senior Validation and Characterization Engineer to lead silicon validation and characterization efforts for mixed-signal products in Austin, TX. The product scope spans audio CODECs, amplifiers, haptics/sensing, power delivery, and battery management for mobile and consumer applications.
What you'll do
- Lead silicon validation and characterization for mixed-signal ICs from first silicon through production release. - Define validation strategies, test plans, and coverage for complex analog, digital, and mixed-signal blocks. - Design and develop automated validation test environments using lab instrumentation and PXI-based systems. - Develop and maintain software frameworks and scripts for validation, characterization, and regression testing using Python. - Design silicon validation boards and review schematics and layouts prior to fabrication. - Collaborate with IC design, systems, product test, applications, and reliability teams to debug silicon issues and drive root-cause analysis.
What you'll need
- BS in Electrical or Computer Engineering with 5+ years of relevant industry experience. - Hands-on experience with silicon validation, characterization, or post-silicon debug of mixed-signal ICs. - Technical understanding of mixed-signal circuit blocks including ADCs, DACs, PLLs, amplifiers, regulators, and sensors. - Experience developing automated test software and scripts using Python. - Experience with lab and PXI-based instrumentation, including NI PXIe, oscilloscopes, signal generators, and audio analyzers. - Experience analyzing datasets and presenting results using tools such as Excel, JMP, or Spotfire.
Nice to have
- Experience with audio or power-management IC validation. - Familiarity with digital communication protocols, including I2C, SPI, I2S, TDM, and SPMI. - Experience correlating validation results with production test coverage. - Exposure to embedded firmware or lab automation platforms. - Experience mentoring junior engineers or acting as a technical lead on projects.
Skills: silicon validation, characterization, mixed-signal ICs, automated validation test environments, Python
This role has been open 220 days — well above the 115-day median for Silicon Test Engineering roles.
Silicon Test Engineering · Silicon Validation
|
Open roles in category
185
|
Median days open
115 d
|
Median salary
$129k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Cirrus Logic | All employers we track in this specialty (185 roles · 55 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 6 | 185 |
| Open roles in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family | 21 | 2235 · 112 employers |
| Median days open | 169 d | 115 d (+54 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $129k |
Skills observed across this category: silicon validation, characterization, mixed-signal ICs, automated validation test environments, Python
Who's hiring in this category
- Teradyne · 14 open roles · median 120 d
- Qualcomm · 12 open roles · median 115 d
- Renesas Electronics · 12 open roles · median 108 d
- Infineon Technologies · 9 open roles · median 123 d
- Marvell Technology · 9 open roles · median 123 d
- onsemi · 8 open roles · median 137 d
How we counted: 185 open Silicon Test Engineering (Silicon Validation) roles from 55 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 26 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family row. Figures refresh nightly.