Director of Engineering - AI Integrated Systems

Senior Engineering Director - AI Integrated Systems

Join Axelera AI as a Senior Engineering Director, leading hardware development for our AI platform and shaping the future of high‑performance, reliable, manufacturable hardware solutions.

Axelera AI is a deep‑tech startup creating a next‑generation AI platform that empowers individuals and organizations to advance humanity. With over 4 years in business, we have secured $120 million in funding, built a team of more than 220 globally distributed engineers (including 49 PhDs), and launched the Metis™ AI Platform—which delivers 3–5× efficiency gains—while maintaining a robust pipeline exceeding $100 million.

We’re looking for a hands‑on, strategic engineering leader to take ownership of our in‑house hardware development organization. This role will drive the design and manufacturing of AI accelerator cards and system‑level solutions around our proprietary chips, residing at the heart of high‑speed board design, schematic oversight, power delivery architecture, and validation strategy.

• Serve as the technical authority for all hardware designs, guiding architecture, schematics, PCB stack‑ups, high‑speed routing, power delivery, SI/PI, thermal and mechanical engineering.
• Own end‑to‑end hardware execution—from design reviews and bring‑up to validation, reliability testing, DFM/DFT/DFR, and mass‑production readiness.
• Oversee all hardware development activities in partnership with the Hardware R&D Manager, ensuring technical robustness, compliance, and performance across all products.
• Define and enforce engineering processes, documentation standards, validation methodologies, and quality gates across the organization.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks, resolve engineering escalations, and drive debugging and root‑cause analysis during development and early production.
• Partner with product technical leaders to ensure strong product requirements, architectural clarity, and lean, manufacturable design execution.
• Occasionally lead project technical execution when needed.
• Lead and mentor an experienced engineering organization, ensuring clear roles, accountability, and growth paths for senior technical talent.
• Align hardware execution with system integration, silicon, SDK/software, supply chain, productization, and operations.
• Translate product development strategy into actionable engineering plans, schedules, and development priorities in collaboration with the division Director.

• 15+ years in hardware engineering for complex electronics products and 5+ years in senior leadership roles.
• Experience with embedded compute, firmware or board‑bring‑up; familiarity with structured NPI processes.
• Expertise in high‑speed interfaces, power delivery/VRM, high‑density PCB layout, thermal/mechanical design, simulations, and product validation/compliance.
• Proven track record of delivering hardware designs into volume production.
• Hands‑on ability to review schematics, layouts, simulations, and lab validation data.
• Experience with AI accelerators and/or server‑level engineering is a plus.
• Leadership experience across multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong strategic thinker, excellent communicator, and skilled at decision‑making in fast‑moving environments.

• Work from one of our Axelera AI offices:
  Leuven (Belgium), Amsterdam or Eindhoven (Netherlands), Zurich (Switzerland), Florence and Milan (Italy), or Bristol (United Kingdom), if you are already based nearby.
• Work fully remotely from any European country (including the UK).
• Relocate with us to Italy (Florence or Milan) or the Netherlands (Amsterdam or Eindhoven).

At Axelera AI, we wholeheartedly embrace equal opportunity and hold diversity in the highest regard. Our steadfast commitment is to cultivate a warm and inclusive environment that empowers and celebrates every member of our team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to join us in shaping the future of AI.