Head of Engineering - VLSI

HEAD OF ENGINEERING – VLSI
Panache DigiLife Limited is an ISO-certified, NSE-listed Indian multinational expanding into VLSI and semiconductor design, developing semiconductor IPs and providing advanced design services to fabless companies.
📍 Location: Bengaluru, India
The Opportunity
We are looking for an experienced and entrepreneurial Head of Engineering – VLSI to lead our VLSI engineering organization and drive the development of semiconductor products from architecture through successful silicon.
This is a key leadership opportunity for a seasoned VLSI professional who combines deep technical expertise, semiconductor leadership, team-building capabilities, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
The successful candidate will play a critical role in shaping our technology roadmap, engineering organization, product execution, and long-term semiconductor strategy.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the complete VLSI engineering organization and define the technical roadmap.
Own end-to-end chip development covering architecture, RTL design, verification, synthesis, physical design, DFT, STA, sign-off, and tape-out.
Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing semiconductor engineering team.
Drive execution against performance, power, area, quality, schedule, and silicon-success objectives.
Establish engineering processes, methodologies, tools, and design standards.
Work closely with product, software, systems, and business leadership to translate product requirements into scalable silicon solutions.
Manage technical relationships with foundries, IP vendors, EDA partners, and external design/service teams.
Take technical ownership of critical architectural, design, and implementation decisions.
Identify and mitigate technical and execution risks throughout the chip-development lifecycle.
Define and contribute to the company's long-term VLSI and semiconductor technology strategy.
Build a culture of engineering excellence, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Ideal Candidate
20+ years of experience in VLSI/ASIC/SoC development, with significant technical and engineering leadership experience.
Deep understanding of RTL, verification, synthesis, physical design, DFT, timing, sign-off, and tape-out.
Proven track record of taking complex semiconductor products from concept to successful silicon.
Experience building, scaling, and managing high-performing VLSI engineering teams.
Strong technical judgment and the ability to make critical architecture and implementation decisions.
Excellent problem-solving, communication, stakeholder-management, and execution skills.
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-moving, growth-oriented environment.
Experience with advanced process nodes and/or complex SoC designs is a strong advantage.
Experience working with semiconductor foundries, EDA ecosystems, and third-party IP providers is highly desirable.
What We Offer
This is a core leadership position with significant ownership and influence over our technology direction and semiconductor product roadmap.
In addition to a competitive compensation package, equity sharing / ESOP participation will be offered to the selected candidate, reflecting the strategic importance of this role in building the company's semiconductor technology platform.
The equity grant will be discussed and mutually agreed upon based on the candidate's experience, responsibilities, and contribution to the company's growth.
Location
📍 Bengaluru, India

Work arrangement
No