Silicon Product Engineering Lead

About Us

Axelera AI is not your regular deep-tech startup. We are creating the next-generation AI platform to support anyone who wants to help advancing humanity and improve the world around us.

In just four years, we have raised a total of $120 million and have built a world-class team of 220+ employees (including 49+ PhDs with more than 40,000 citations), both remotely from 17 different countries and with offices in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, headquartered at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

We have also launched our Metis™ AI Platform, which achieves a 3-5x increase in efficiency and performance, and have visibility into a strong business pipeline exceeding $100 million.

Our unwavering commitment to innovation has firmly established us as a global industry pioneer.

Are you up for the challenge?

We’re looking for a hands-on technical leader to own product engineering from tapeout to production and day-to-day operation of our Bristol validation lab
.

You’ll be responsible for the full journey of our AI accelerator silicon
—from first silicon bring-up, characterization, qualification, and ATE development through NPI and OSAT handoff—
while leading the team and infrastructure that make this possible
. This is a deeply practical role, combining test development, silicon debug, and lab leadership with external partner management.

You’ll lead test engineers, validation engineers, and lab technicians, ensuring our silicon meets data centre and automotive quality standards and that our lab operates efficiently as we scale to multiple concurrent chip programs.

• Own ATE strategy and test program development from early silicon through high-volume manufacturing
• Drive first-silicon bring-up, working closely with design teams to validate functionality and performance
• Define production test architecture, balancing coverage, cost, and throughput
• Lead qualification and reliability activities across voltage, temperature, and aging conditions
• Establish qualification methodologies for automotive and data centre markets
• Own NPI processes, including phase gates, cross-functional reviews, and documentation
• Manage OSAT relationships: partner evaluation, test transfer, and production readiness
• Collaborate with foundries on yield analysis, process monitoring, and improvement actions

• Lead the Bristol validation lab where dev board bring-up, silicon characterization, and test development are performed
• Manage lab operations: equipment, calibration, procurement, stock control, and safety
• Oversee validation work including power sequencing, JTAG/scan testing, clock and signal integrity characterization, and thermal validation
• Guide development of test fixtures, cable assemblies, and lab tooling
• Prioritize and oversee small engineering projects that support product development
• Evolve the lab from an informal setup into a scalable, well-controlled engineering operation

• A scalable product engineering function supporting multiple silicon programs
• Robust ATE infrastructure from engineering characterization to volume manufacturing
• Strong DFT and testability practices embedded early in design
• A structured, well-run validation lab with clear procedures, maintained equipment, and improved stock control
• Trusted external partnerships with OSATs, test houses, and foundries

• Significant hands-on experience in semiconductor test development and silicon characterization
• Strong understanding of ATE platforms and test program optimization
• Deep knowledge of reliability physics and qualification of complex So Cs
• Experience with silicon debug and failure analysis tools (oscilloscopes, logic analysers, thermal tools, FA workflows)
• Practical lab management experience including calibration, equipment management, and safety
• Solid understanding of test and manufacturing economics
• Build, mentor, and scale a multidisciplinary engineering team
• Act as a senior technical leader in architectural reviews and roadmap discussions
• Communicate complex technical topics clearly to engineers and executives
• Manage multiple…