Descripción de la oferta
THE OPPORTUNITY
Lumai is redefining how the world computes. We are an ambitious, venture-backed UK startup building a breakthrough AI accelerator for the data centre, powered by 3D optical compute. Our technology uses light rather than electricity to perform the matrix multiplications at the heart of AI inference — at speeds and scales electronics cannot reach, and at a fraction of the energy.
The performance and efficiency gains we are unlocking could reset the economics of AI infrastructure and change how intelligence scales globally.
If you want to bring genuinely new technology to market and work at the edge of what is physically possible, Lumai is where you can do it.
ABOUT LUMAI
Founded in 2022, Lumai is a University of Oxford spinout using optical processing to accelerate large language models and other transformer-based AI systems. Our team brings together optical computing, machine learning, physics, and silicon expertise.
We have raised over $15 million from leading deep-tech investors and government grants, and we are scaling quickly to deploy the fastest optical compute available anywhere. Every day here is spent on technology that did not exist five years ago. You will not be maintaining legacy systems.
THE ROLE
Lumai is building the analog front end that will define how our photonic compute engine talks to the rest of the world. As Senior Analog/Mixed-Signal Design Lead, you will own the technical direction, architecture, and tapeout of the analog and mixed-signal blocks that sit at the heart of our photonic receiver chain, from high-speed data converters through to the control and calibration loops that keep them accurate in silicon.
This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will carry design authority over the mixed-signal roadmap while directly leading and mentoring a small, high-calibre team of analog and mixed-signal designers. You will be the person the rest of engineering turns to when a tapeout decision needs to be made, a schedule needs to be defended, or a subtle analog non-ideality needs to be understood and fixed.
You will report to VP Engineering or the Head of ASIC, and work in close partnership with photonics, digital/RTL, verification, layout, and AI software teams to ensure the analog front end meets system-level performance targets end to end.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Architecture & Tapeout Ownership
Own the architecture and technical roadmap for Lumai's analog and mixed-signal blocks, including high-speed analog front ends, ADC/DAC subsystems, and the calibration infrastructure that supports them.
Carry full ownership of tapeout milestones for mixed-signal IP — from architecture definition and circuit design through verification sign-off, GDS release, and post-silicon bring-up.
Drive process node selection and qualification decisions for analog IP, with direct experience at TSMC N12 or a comparable advanced node informing trade-offs on power, area, matching, and reliability.
Own risk identification and mitigation across the mixed-signal programme, communicating schedule and technical risk clearly to engineering leadership.
Team & Design Methodology
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of analog/mixed-signal IC designers, setting technical standards, design review practices, and career development paths.
Set and enforce design methodology across the team: schematic review standards, simulation coverage (PVT, Monte Carlo), and documentation practices.
Represent the mixed-signal domain in cross-functional design reviews, architecture decisions, and hiring.
Cross-Functional & Foundry Partnership
Act as the primary technical point of contact with the foundry and PDK teams for analog/mixed-signal IP, including model qualification, DRC/LVS waivers, and reliability sign-off.
Partner with the photonics team to co-design the electrical/optical interface, ensuring the analog receiver chain (TIAs, VGAs, ADCs) is matched to the photonic detector characteristics.
Guide calibration algorithm co-design with digital/firmware teams, ensuring silicon-measurable non-idealities (offset, gain error, timing skew) are correctable in the field.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Must-Have
10+ years of analog/mixed-signal IC design experience, with demonstrated technical leadership of a team or design workstream.
At least one production tapeout owned end-to-end at TSMC N12 or a comparable advanced CMOS/FinFET node (12nm–16nm class).
Deep hands-on expertise in high-speed analog front-end design, ADC/DAC architectures, or comparable high-speed mixed-signal circuits.
Proven experience leading or managing analog/mixed-signal designers, including design review, mentoring, and technical career development.
Strong command of full-custom analog design flows (Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre or equivalent), including corner and Monte Carlo simulation methodology.
Track record of working directly with foundries on PDK qualification, model validation, and reliability/DRC-LVS sign-off.
Comfortable owning schedule and risk communication with engineering leadership, including trade-off decisions under time and resource constraints.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate deep technical detail for cross-functional and leadership audiences.
Strong Preference For
Experience with photonic or optical receiver front ends, or other sensor-interface analog design.
FD-SOI or body-bias design experience (e.g. GlobalFoundries 22FDX or similar).
Direct involvement in ADC/DAC calibration technique development (background, foreground, or mixed-mode calibration).
Prior experience at a fabless startup or research spin-out, from first tapeout through product qualification.
Experience building or scaling an analog/mixed-signal design team from a small base.
Contributions to published research or patents in analog/mixed-signal IC design.
Familiarity with AI/ML inference hardware or high-throughput compute architectures.
INTERVIEW PROCESS
Four stages. An opening conversation with our HR team to understand what you want from the role and what we need from it; two technical sessions with members of the engineering team; and a closing HR session covering scope, terms, and any final questions. We move quickly on candidates we are excited about — expect roughly three to four weeks end to end.
Lumai is an equal opportunity employer. We hire on merit, scope-fit, and the strength of the working relationship we expect to build. Applications are welcome from candidates of any background.
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