R&D Project Manager - Analog/RF IC Design

We recently earned the title of “Top 100 Startups worth watching in 2021” by EE Times, and our recent technology breakthroughs have been featured in The Telegraph, BBC and the New Statesman. Our chairman is the co-founder of Cadence and Synopsys, the two leading companies in the area of Electronic Design Automation. We’re backed by a team of top-tier investors including  Oxford Sciences Innovations, INKEF Capital and Octopus Ventures, and we have so far raised over £16 million equity and grant funding. 

We bring together the brightest quantum engineers, integrated circuit (IC) engineers and quantum computing theoreticians to create a unique, world-leading team, working together closely to maximise our combined expertise. Our collaborative and interdisciplinary culture is an ideal fit for anyone who thrives in a cutting-edge research and development environment focused on tackling big challenges and contributing to the development of scalable quantum computers based on silicon technology.

Our team of 120+ is based in London and Oxford: the majority of our experimental work is carried out in London and this is where we are expanding our operation, opening a new lab near Kings Cross this year. 

The candidate will be responsible for providing project management to multidisciplinary scientific and engineering teams, both internally and externally for projects with academic research institutions, supply chain partners and customers. A particular focus of this role will be to provide managerial and administrative support for Analog/RF IC Design projects. The ideal candidate should have a flair for planning and organisation and will be highly-motivated to support the project team to deliver successful projects. 

The ideal candidate has hands-on Analog IC design and project management experience. The candidate will be expected to work across multiple projects, and should be able to provide examples of times when they have demonstrated this successfully. The candidate must be adaptable and able to contribute in a highly agile environment. An ability to communicate well with physicists, IC engineers and project stakeholders is key. We would particularly welcome individuals who have previously managed Innovate UK or other government-funded projects, but this is not essential.

• Prepare project plans, schedules and budgets in collaboration with stakeholders across teams, with a primary focus on IC development projects. Track costs versus budget, and work closely with our financial/accounting team.

• Manage interactions with aggregators and foundries regarding IC design and tapeouts.

• Work with technical teams to manage development timelines and milestones, resolve problems and run project update meetings.

• Prepare high-quality, clear and concise project reports for external funding agencies, management, clients, and/or others.

• Review status updates from project personnel and modify schedules or plans as required.

• Identify risks and challenges to successful timely on-budget project execution, devise and implement risk mitigation strategies and communicate them to stakeholders.

• Support proposal writing efforts, in particular with planning and budgeting.

• Demonstrated experience across all phases of an Analog ASIC design flow, spanning from initial architecture, schematic design, layout, fabrication and post-silicon validation.

• Experience managing the technical interface with IC manufacturing partners.

• 2+ years project management experience.

• Demonstrable track record of successfully delivering hardware-intensive R&D projects.

• Experience with scheduling and budget tracking with tools such as Jira and Excel.

• Strong interpersonal skills for effectively managing teams.

• Excellent organizational skills, problem solving skills and analytical ability.

• Applicants should thrive in a dynamic small business environment.

• Strong financial awareness

Desirable (Nice To Haves)

• Experience with government contract budgeting and cost reporting 

• Experience with IC-related contract management, including IP licensing, fabrication agreements, and NDAs

• Understanding of the Digital IC design flow, including post-silicon testing phases.

• Familiarity with the specialized RF IC design flow, including post-silicon testing phases.

• Familiarity with industry-standard EDA tools for Analog IC Design such as the Cadence Virtuoso platform.

Application Process

The Application Process will consist of 3 stages:

1. Initial call with Talent 

2. Phone interviews with Hiring Manager and Team Lead

3. On-site interviews with an interview panel

• Be part of a creative, world-leading team

• Competitive salary and share options scheme

• Contributory pension scheme

• Choose your own laptop/kit 

• Life Assurance

• Cycle-to-work Scheme 

• Strongly collaborative working style

• Flexible working

• Central London location