Gateway Recruiting

Director of Design Enablement

Gateway Recruiting  •  Dallas, TX (Onsite)  •  5 hours ago
Apply
AI can make mistakes so check important info. Chat history is never stored.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced semiconductor leader to build and lead our global Design Enablement organization responsible for CAD infrastructure and design support, EDA methodologies, Process Design Kit (PDK) and design automation, licensing management, and engineering productivity initiatives. This role will provide strategic and technical leadership across all phases of design enablement, from technology onboarding through production tape-out support. The position will lead worldwide teams supporting analog, mixed-signal, power, BCD, high-voltage, and emerging semiconductor technologies. The role combines deep hands-on expertise, organizational leadership, vendor management, and business acumen.

This individual will drive roadmap development for CAD, EDA, smart design methodologies, and PDK automation while optimizing engineering productivity.

Job Responsibilities:

Design Enablement Strategy & Leadership:

  • Define and execute the corporate Design Enablement strategy across global engineering organizations.
  • Develop long-term roadmaps for CAD, EDA methodologies, PDK automation, design infrastructure, and AI-driven engineering productivity.
  • Establish best-in-class design environments supporting analog, mixed-signal, power, BCD, HV, and advanced process technologies.
  • Partner with Design, Technology Development, and IT organizations to align infrastructure investments with business objectives.

EDA Methodology & CAD Infrastructure:

  • Lead deployment, qualification, support, and optimization of enterprise EDA environments.
  • Define and maintain design flows
  • Own compute infrastructure and license servers/deployment frameworks
  • Drive standardization of design methodologies across all sites and business units.

PDK Development & Automation:

  • Lead development, customization, qualification, and maintenance of internal and foundry PDKs.
  • Build automated frameworks and ensure successful enablement of new process technologies and foundry platforms.
  • Collaborate closely with process teams and foundry partners.

Design Automation & AI:

  • Lead development of automation solutions.
  • Drive adoption of AI/ML and Generative AI technologies to improve engineering productivity and design quality.
  • Develop data analytics and workflow automation platforms for engineering organizations.
  • Create continuous integration and validation frameworks for design enablement.

EDA-Vendor & Licensing Management:

  • Own strategic relationships with EDA vendors including Cadence, Synopsys, Siemens EDA, Ansys, and other ecosystem partners.
  • Negotiate enterprise-wide licensing and technical support agreements/contracts
  • Drive license optimization and utilization initiatives to maximize ROI.
  • Serve as executive interface for vendor escalations and technology roadmap alignment.

Global Team Leadership:

  • Lead a worldwide team of CAD, EDA, PDK, and automation engineers.
  • Build a high-performance engineering organization across multiple regions.
  • Develop technical talent, career paths, and succession plans.
  • Manage internal resources, offshore teams, contractors, and consulting partners.
  • Establish metrics and KPIs to measure support effectiveness, design productivity, and infrastructure utilization.

Qualifications and Experience:

  • 15+ years of hands-on semiconductor design enablement experience in CAD, EDA, PDK, and design automation
  • 10+ years of leadership experience managing global engineering organizations
  • Proven track record leading worldwide CAD, methodology, infrastructure, or design enablement teams.
  • Demonstrated success managing multi-million-dollar EDA budgets and licensing agreements.
  • Required: Fluent in English (written and spoken)
  • Mandarin a plus, but not required
  • Recognized semiconductor design enablement leader who combines deep technical expertise in CAD, EDA, PDK development, and automation with strong business leadership skills.
  • Successfully built and managed global organizations, negotiated complex EDA licensing agreements, and delivered productivity improvements through automation, infrastructure modernization, and methodology innovation.
  • Comfortable working with executive leadership, foundry partners, EDA vendors, and hands-on engineering teams to accelerate innovation and enable future semiconductor technology platforms.
Gateway Recruiting

About Gateway Recruiting

Since 2008, Gateway Recruiting has been solving one of the industry’s biggest challenges: the loss of genuine human connection. Built during a time of economic uncertainty, our mission has always been clear: to provide recruitment services rooted in trust, transparency, and relationships that last. Over the years, we’ve evolved into a pivotal player in the industry, earning accolades from Forbes for our commitment to excellence and our knack for connecting top-tier talent with companies spanning diverse sectors.

We specialize in delivering custom recruiting strategies and offer permanent, retained, and project-based recruiting services that meet our clients where they are and help them grow. From startups to Fortune 500 companies, our clients rely on us for fast, flexible, and high-impact recruiting, without the overhead of a traditional agency. Every search we take on is personal, strategic, and tailored to your specific needs.

At Gateway, we blend modern tools with human instinct. We move quickly, communicate clearly, and treat every hire as an opportunity to create long-term value, for both our clients and candidates.

----

Contingent – Retained – Contract/Contract-to-Perm Services

----

Experts in Recruiting in the Following Sectors:

Medical Device – Pharmaceutical – Life Sciences

Trade Compliance (Import/Export Compliance)

Chemical – Petrochemical

Technology Development and Hardware

Accounting, Finance and Tax

Logistics, Operations and Supply Chain

Sales and Business Development

Legal and Electronic Discovery

Computer Forensics – Cybersecurity – Incident Response

Artificial Intelligence – Blockchain Technology

----

Real Relationships. Real Talent. | Gateway to Global Careers

Industry
HR & Recruiting
Company Size
51-200 employees
Headquarters
New Braunfels, TX
Year Founded
2008
Social Media