Emulation and Prototyping Senior Engineer

The Role:

At OpenChip, the Emulation & Prototyping team enables system-level validation of next-generation RISC-V and chiplet-based computing platforms before silicon is available.

As an Emulation & Prototyping Senior Engineer, you will work at the intersection of Hardware Design, Design Verification, Firmware, Software and Performance teams to build and operate large-scale pre-silicon validation environments. You will help transform RTL designs into executable system platforms and support software bring-up, system validation, performance analysis and HW/SW co-debug.

This role is ideal for engineers coming from Emulation, Design Verification, FPGA Prototyping, SoC Integration, Silicon Validation or Firmware/Software Bring-up backgrounds who enjoy solving complex system-level problems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain system-level emulation and prototyping environments.

• Integrate RTL, memory models, transactors and debug infrastructure into validation platforms.

• Prepare and maintain compilation flows, build environments and automation frameworks.

• Support firmware and software teams during platform bring-up and hardware debugging.

• Enable Linux boot, benchmark execution, stress testing and system validation campaigns.

• Perform HW/SW co-debug using waveform analysis, JTAG, software traces and system-level observability tools.

• Collaborate closely with Design, Verification, Firmware and Architecture teams to root-cause complex issues.

• Contribute to performance validation, benchmarking and platform readiness for internal and external users.

• Develop scripting and CI/CD infrastructure to automate compilation, deployment and regression execution.

Minimum Qualifications:

• MS or BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field.

• 7+ years of professional experience in semiconductor development.

• Strong understanding of digital design and SoC architectures.

• Experience with RTL languages such as SystemVerilog, Verilog or VHDL (preferred System

• Verilog)

• Experience with digital verification or simulation flows using tools such as VCS, Xcelium or

• Questa (Preferred VCS)

• Experience debugging complex hardware, firmware or system-level issues.

• Linux environment knowledge.

• Experience with C/C++ programming

• Experience with scripting and automation (Python, Tcl, Bash or similar).

• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with large SystemVerilog/UVM environments.

• Experience with Linux bring-up, boot flows and low-level firmware development.

• Experience with JTAG, OpenOCD, GDB and HW/SW debug.

• Familiarity with RISC-V architectures and toolchains.

• Experience with AXI, CHI, PCIe, Ethernet, CXL or UCIe IPs and Protocols

• Experience with FPGA development tools such as Vivado.

• Experience with hardware emulation or multi-FPGA prototyping platforms.

• Experience with Synopsys ZeBu, HAPS, Cadence Palladium/Protium or Siemens

• Veloce/ProFPGA (Preferred Synopsys ZeBu / HAPS)

• Experience with benchmark execution, performance analysis and stress testing.

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role:

We are looking for engineers who learn quickly, enjoy debugging complex problems and thrive in a

highly collaborative environment. Successful candidates often come from backgrounds such as:

• Design Verification

• SoC Integration

• FPGA Development

• Silicon Validation

• Firmware Development

• Emulation and Prototyping

Previous experience with commercial emulation platforms is a strong plus, but it is not required. We value strong fundamentals, curiosity and the ability to rapidly contribute across compilation flows, validation infrastructure and runtime debug activities.

Job Details:

Job type: Full Time

Primary Job Location: Barcelona (Spain)

Alternative Job Location: Rome (Italy)

Working Model: This role is eligible for hybrid work model which allows employees to split their

time between working on-site at their assigned site and off-site.

What do we offer?

Join an innovative team and experience company growth.

We believe in investing in our employees and providing them with the opportunities they need to grow and develop their careers. Enjoy a hybrid work environment.

We also offer flexible schedule. We offer a remuneration that values your experience.

At Openchip & Software Technologies S.L., we believe a diverse and inclusive team is the key to groundbreaking ideas. We foster a work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential – regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.