Principal Product Engineer

This is an experienced Principal Product Engineer role within the Renesas Hi-Reliability group, supporting advanced IC products for space and harsh-environment applications. The role will help guide complex semiconductor products from development through characterization and production readiness, requiring strong semiconductor NPI experience, hands-on lab capability, technical leadership, and a continuous improvement mindset to support high-reliability product release.

Responsibilities

• Lead product engineering activities for new product development of radiation-hardened ICs used in space and harsh-environment applications.
• Serve as the cross-functional technical hub between IC design, radiation effects, applications engineering, test engineering, assembly and package engineering, reliability engineering, and manufacturing teams.
• Drive product development milestones throughout the semiconductor NPI lifecycle, helping ensure alignment across technical functions and project stakeholders.
• Characterize IC designs to verify compliance with electrical specifications, product requirements, and high-reliability performance expectations.
• Perform hands-on bench testing using standard semiconductor lab equipment to support device characterization, validation, debug, and ATE correlation.
• Analyze characterization data and provide technical insights related to product performance, margin, yield, quality, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Support bench-to-ATE correlation and partner with test engineering teams on test strategy, test development, debugging, and production readiness.
• Collaborate with package engineering, assembly engineering, and reliability teams to integrate product requirements into a final manufacturable solution.
• Support high-reliability product development practices for space-grade or harsh-environment semiconductor products.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the Hi-Rel Product Engineering and Test Engineering teams, particularly around NPI execution, ATE readiness, data analysis, and product release processes.
• Communicate technical status, risks, results, and recommendations clearly to cross-functional engineering teams and leadership.

• 10+ years of experience executing new product development within the semiconductor industry.
• Strong product engineering experience across IC characterization, validation, test, debug, and production release.
• Hands-on lab proficiency using oscilloscopes, multimeters, bench power supplies, and other standard semiconductor lab equipment.
• Familiarity with Automated Test Equipment platforms such as ETS-64, microFLEX, UltraFLEX, Advantest 93K, or similar ATE systems.
• Strong statistical data analysis capability using tools such as JMP, Spotfire, or similar semiconductor data analysis platforms.
• Experience with bench-to-ATE correlation, characterization data analysis, electrical specification validation, and product performance review.
• Working knowledge of semiconductor NPI processes, including product engineering, test engineering, applications engineering, assembly/package engineering, reliability engineering, and manufacturing readiness.
• Experience with radiation-hardened ICs, Hi-Rel semiconductor products, space electronics, or harsh-environment applications preferred.
• Familiarity with MIL-PRF-38535 / MIL 38535 or similar high-reliability semiconductor standards preferred.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to lead cross-functional product development teams and communicate technical risks, results, and recommendations clearly.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering required.

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering preferred.

Renesas Electronics Americas (REA) is a dynamic, multi-cultural tech company where employees can learn, mentor and thrive. REA brings together the strong financial foundation of a multi-billion-dollar global operation and the flexibility and velocity of a smaller organization. We are developing technologies for the latest advances in IoT, secured connected devices, autonomous driving, smart homes, factories and more. Our solutions are at the heart of products developed by major innovators worldwide. Join us and be part of what's next in electronics.

Renesas is an embedded semiconductor solution provider driven by its Purpose ‘To Make Our Lives Easier.’ As the industry’s leading expert in embedded processing with unmatched quality and system-level know-how, we have evolved to provide scalable and comprehensive semiconductor solutions for automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT industries based on the broadest product portfolio, including High Performance Computing, Embedded Processing, Analog & Connectivity, and Power.
 
With a diverse team of over 22,000 professionals in more than 30 countries, we continue to expand our boundaries to offer enhanced user experiences through digitalization and usher into a new era of innovation. We design and develop sustainable, power-efficient solutions today that help people and communities thrive tomorrow, ‘To Make Our Lives Easier.’     
 
At Renesas, you can: 

• Launch and advance your career in technical and business roles across four Product Groups and various corporate functions. You will have the opportunities to explore our hardware and software capabilities and try new things.  

• Make a real impact by developing innovative products and solutions to meet our global customers' evolving needs and help make people’s lives easier, safe and secure. 

• Maximize your performance and wellbeing in our flexible and inclusive work environment. Our people-first culture and global support system, including the remote work option and Employee Resource Groups, will help you excel from the first day.    

Are you ready to own your success and make your mark?  

Join Renesas. Shape Your Future with Us.  

Renesas Electronics is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, committed to celebrating diversity and fostering a work environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military status, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. For more information, please read our Diversity & Inclusion Statement.

Renesas Electronics deals with dual-use technology that is subject to U.S. export controls regulations. Under these regulations it may be necessary for Renesas to obtain U.S. government export license prior to release of technology to certain persons. The decision whether or not to file or pursue an export license application is at the sole discretion of Renesas.