Principal System Engineer
NXP SemiconductorsNXP Semiconductors France is seeking a Principal System Engineer to guide the architectural definition, design and implementation of complex embedded systems for its next generation semiconductor products. The position is onsite in Caen, France, and the work spans hardware, software and firmware disciplines. The team would prefer a mid-level system engineer with hands-on experience in system engineering, modeling and performance analysis.
The employer is a global semiconductor company known for secure connectivity and automotive electronics. This opportunity sits with the France site, where engineers translate broad requirements into practical technical solutions and help shape the architecture that brings components together.
If you enjoy shaping architectures across disciplines and mentoring fellow engineers, this role could fit you. It places you at the center of decisions about how hardware, software and firmware work in concert within a product line.
Architecting the system behind each product
Day to day, you’ll define and refine system level architecture for new semiconductor products, making sure hardware, software and firmware considerations align. You’ll gather requirements, perform feasibility checks and translate product needs into concrete specifications. You’ll weigh options, analyze risks, and collaborate with hardware, software and verification teams to ensure components fit and can be tested. You’ll design system level test plans to verify functionality and performance, mentor junior engineers, and serve as a key technical interface with customers to translate their needs into engineering requirements and solutions. You’ll also push for improvements in how system engineering is practiced and contribute to intellectual property through patent disclosures and technical publications.
What you’ll need to bring
Here’s the baseline the team expects.
- Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
- 12+ years of experience in system engineering, with a strong focus on embedded systems and semiconductor product development.
- Excellent written, oral and presentation skills.
- Capable of contributing as an individual while collaborating with team members from diverse cultures and geographies.
- Strong programming and modeling skills in C, C++, MATLAB and Python.
- Hands-on experience in wireless communication system design, or in control system design, DC-DC modeling and performance analysis, and jitter modeling.
- Experience with product specification and development in the analog-mixed signal domain.
Nice-to-haves that help
- Experience providing technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers through project guidance and reviews.
- Experience interfacing with customers and translating needs into technical requirements and solutions.
- Track record contributing to intellectual property through patents and technical publications.
Advice for applicants
Lead with your credentials: the resume header should open with your highest degree and the exact years of relevant work experience, highlighting your 12+ years in embedded-systems and semiconductor product development.
Show what you can do with code and models: cite concrete projects where you used C, C++ and MATLAB or Python to model system behavior, especially in wireless or DC-DC contexts or in analog-mixed-signal development.
Be ready for architecture conversations: you’ll likely be asked to walk through past system-level design explorations, how you judged feasibility, weighed trade-offs and managed risk across hardware, software and verification.
Highlight customer impact and IP work: share a real example of translating a customer need into technical requirements, and if you have patents or technical publications, mention them with specifics.