SDK Hardware Simulator Engineer

About Us

Innatera is a rapidly growing Dutch semiconductor company that develops ultra-efficient neuromorphic processors for AI at the edge. These microprocessors mimic the brain’s mechanisms for processing fast data streams from sensors, enabling complex turn‑key sensor analytics functionalities, with 10,000x higher performance per watt than competing solutions. Innatera's technology serves as a critical enabler for next‑generation use cases in the IoT, wearable, embedded, and automotive domains.

We are looking for a Senior SDK Hardware Simulation Engineer to help drive the development of our simulation environment by enabling early application development and system validation before hardware is available. As a key member of our SDK team, you’ll be responsible for designing and building accurate and high‑performance C++ hardware simulators that reflect our neuromorphic architecture. This role is critical to how our software and hardware teams collaborate to test, validate, and iterate on next‑gen chip designs.

Key Responsibilities

• Designing and implementing high‑fidelity simulation models in modern C++ and Python that accurately mimic the behaviour of our neuromorphic processors, CPUs, memory systems, and other hardware components.
• Translating complex hardware specifications into modular, efficient, and testable software models integrated within our SDK environment.
• Developing and maintaining the simulation framework, enabling both early application development and system validation before silicon is available.
• Collaborating closely with cross‑functional teams (Digital Design, Firmware, and Software Tools) to ensure the simulator reflects real hardware behaviour and supports continuous co‑development.
• Owning the quality and performance of the simulation infrastructure — writing unit and integration tests, conducting code reviews, and improving architecture and maintainability over time.
• Contributing to the SDK’s evolution, ensuring the simulation tools are accessible, user‑friendly, and valuable for both internal teams and external developers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong programming skills in C++ (C++17/20) and Python, with the ability to switch between the two depending on the layer of abstraction or task.
• Experience designing software models or simulators that represent hardware components or systems.
• Solid understanding of digital hardware fundamentals, such as CPU/memory architecture, instruction sets, and DMA systems.
• Proven ability to build modular, maintainable, and high‑performance software architectures.
• Familiarity with hardware/software co‑design concepts, and how models integrate with firmware and SDK tools.
• Experience with unit testing, code reviews, and CI/CD pipelines to ensure software quality and maintainability.
• Strong problem‑solving and debugging skills across both hardware and software domains.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with digital design, firmware, and software tool teams.

Nice‑to‑haves

• Experience working with RTL simulations, waveforms, and understanding how hardware behaves at the signal level.
• Exposure to bare‑metal firmware development.
• Background in computer architecture, particularly ARM or RISC‑V‑based systems.
• Knowledge of low‑power design techniques or SNN (Spiking Neural Networks).

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Pension plan
• A flexible working environment (work‑from‑home policy, flexible working hours, advantageous holidays scheme) – Note: We work from the office 3 days per week.
• A generous holiday scheme
• A collaborative, ambitious team with the freedom to innovate
• An inclusive culture that values openness, curiosity, and personal growth
• Office perks like fresh fruit, snacks, and an on‑site gym
• Statutory commuting/home allowance

Innatera is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or other protected characteristics. If you require accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know – we’re happy to support you.