Senior Packaging Design Engineer in Bristol

About OLIX AI is growing faster than any technology in history and the explosion in demand has created a massive infrastructure gap; we can no longer build chips or power stations fast enough to keep up. The industry is still leaning on a ten‑year‑old hardware blueprint that has reached its limit. A new paradigm that is faster and more efficient will be the biggest economic opportunity of the next century and create the most important company of the next decade. The OLIX Decode Accelerator 1 (DX‑1) is the first accelerator architected specifically for decode. Rack‑scale co‑design of logic, data movement, packaging, optics and interconnect enables a step change in system level performance.

Role At OLIX, the performance of our technology depends not only on silicon design, but on how effectively that silicon is packaged, integrated, and scaled into products. As we move from early architecture and prototype development toward productisation, the Senior / Staff Packaging Engineer will play a critical role in defining and delivering the packaging solutions that enable our ASICs to become high‑performance systems. This is a hands‑on, high‑impact engineering role focused on front‑end package design, ASIC‑to‑substrate integration, and advanced 2.5D and 3D packaging. You will work across silicon, substrate, package, and board‑level interfaces to ensure package solutions meet performance, manufacturability, and integration requirements from concept through to production readiness.

Responsibilities

• Advanced Package Architecture & Design
• Own package design activities for ASIC‑to‑substrate integration, including bump/pad mapping, substrate escape, interconnect strategy, package floorplanning, and stack‑up definition.
• Lead the development of 2.5D and 3D package architectures, including multi‑die integration, chiplet‑style interfaces, and heterogeneous integration approaches.
• Define package structures that meet electrical, thermal, mechanical, reliability, and manufacturability requirements.
• Translate silicon and system requirements into practical package design rules, routing constraints, and implementation strategies.
• Drive package technology selection based on performance, risk, manufacturability, cost, and scalability.
• Full Package Design Flow
• Own or lead the full package design flow, from concept definition through detailed design, analysis, layout, verification, release, and manufacturing support.
• Develop and review package layouts including die placement, substrate routing, power/ground distribution, high‑speed interface breakout, and physical integration constraints.
• Own and execute PI/SI simulation activities to validate signal integrity, power delivery, and package performance, translating results directly into design improvements and sign‑off decisions.
• Support package‑to‑board co‑design, including substrate layout and PCB layout/interface definition where required.
• Ensure strong alignment between die, package, substrate, and board‑level implementation.
• Oversee package database management, design reviews, sign‑off, and release readiness.
• Tools, Methods & Implementation
• Use package design tools such as Cadence Allegro X APD, or equivalent to develop and maintain advanced package and substrate layouts.
• Establish and improve package design libraries, templates, rules, and workflows to support efficient and repeatable development.
• Drive layout reviews, implementation checks, and sign‑off processes to ensure package integrity and compliance with technology and manufacturing constraints.
• Support tool flow development and integration across package, substrate, simulation, and PCB environments.
• Ensure robust design data handoff to substrate vendors, OSATs, and manufacturing partners.
• Cross‑Functional Engineering
• Work closely with ASIC, mechanical, thermal, and systems engineers to optimise package performance and system integration.
• Collaborate with substrate vendors, OSATs, foundries, and external partners on stack‑ups, design rules, implementation feasibility, and manufacturing readiness.
• Lead packaging input into architecture reviews, risk assessments, and development planning.
• Ensure package design decisions support broader product requirements including manufacturability, reliability, serviceability, and scale.
• Act as the key interface between package design and adjacent engineering domains.
• Manufacturing & Productisation Support
• Ensure package designs are aligned with assembly, qualification, reliability, and manufacturing requirements.
• Lead DFM/DFX activities for advanced package technologies and substrate implementations.
• Support prototype build, bring‑up, qualification, and early production with strong technical ownership of packaging‑related issues.
• Participate in root cause analysis and corrective action for packaging or integration issues identified during build, test, or reliability assessment.
• Review substrate deliverables, fabrication outputs, and manufacturing documentation for completeness and technical quality.

Skills & Experience

• 8+ years’ experience in advanced semiconductor packaging for ASIC or other high‑performance products.
• Deep expertise in front‑end package design, including ASIC‑to‑substrate integration.
• Strong experience with 2.5D and/or 3D package architectures.
• Strong hands‑on capability with package design tools such as Cadence Allegro, Siemens Xpedition, or equivalent.
• Experience leading package development across layout, simulation, verification, and release.
• Strong hands‑on PI/SI simulation capability, including experience running package‑level signal integrity and power delivery analysis using tools such as Ansys SIwave, Cadence Sigrity, or equivalent.
• Experience in substrate design and package‑to‑board integration.
• Good understanding of manufacturability, interconnect technologies, and package reliability.
• Proven ability to work across multidisciplinary engineering and external partner teams.
• Strong technical judgement, communication, and problem‑solving skills.
• Degree in a relevant engineering or physical sciences discipline.

Desirable

• Experience with AI accelerators, high‑performance compute, networking, or advanced data‑centre hardware.
• Familiarity with wafer‑level packaging.
• Experience mentoring engineers.
• Familiarity with package reliability, qualification, and failure analysis workflows.
• Exposure to new product introduction and scaling advanced package technologies into production.

Compensation & Equity

• Competitive Salary commensurate with your experience, skills, and location.
• Equity & Ownership: Meaningful stock options.
• Proximity Bonus: We offer a £24k annual Living‑Local Bonus if your residence is within 20 minutes of the office.

Health & Wellbeing

• Premium Healthcare: Comprehensive BUPA medical and dental cover.
• Time Off: 25 days of annual leave, plus all UK bank holidays.

The Workspace & Tech

• Elite Hardware: M4 Macs come as standard, with M4 Pro upgrades for our engineering team.
• Optimal Environment: High‑spec noise‑cancelling headphones and a fully ergonomic workstation.
• Rapid Prototyping: Access to our high‑performance 3D printing lab.

Life at the Office

• Chef‑prepared meals if you need to work late.
• Caffeine on Us: We’ve got you covered with a tab at our favourite local coffee shop.

Relocation & Global Mobility

• Visa Sponsorship: We offer full UK and international visa sponsorship.
• Seamless Relocation: Our dedicated relocation partner provides funding and concierge support.

Due to U.S. export control regulations, candidates’ eligibility to work at OLIX depends on their most recent citizenship or permanent residency status.