Principal Analog Sustaining Engineer

Job description

A key technical engineer tasked with investigating and resolving field failures and customer-reported issues on top-tier automotive PMIC products. Operating at the intersection of silicon behavior, system-level debugging, and customer interaction, lead root cause analysis from initial RMA intake to final resolution and knowledge sharing. Collaborate closely with customer applications teams, FA labs, and cross-functional engineering groups to deliver reliable, data-driven solutions for our customers.

Principal Accountabilities

RMA Onboarding & Reproduction Setup: Review RMA documentation and debug history to understand failure symptoms; set up simulation and/or hardware debug environments to reproduce reported issues.

Waveform & Silicon Analysis

Collect and analyze waveforms, run analog simulations, and review RTL/netlist to identify potential failure mechanisms and silicon behavior anomalies.

Collaborative Debugging

Work closely with customer applications teams to align on debugging focus, share regular status and progress updates, and drive structured investigation plans.

Advanced Failure Analysis

Initiate further analysis where required (e.g., FA lab), interpret results, and plan next actions to converge on root cause.

Customer-Facing Technical Documentation

Create high-quality materials for customers including presentations, 8D reports, and any other relevant technical documents throughout the investigation lifecycle.

Fix & Workaround Proposals

Propose silicon fixes or system-level workarounds, outline validation strategies, and review feasibility with customer applications teams and relevant internal departments.

Root Cause Analysis Reports

Deliver comprehensive debug reports covering root cause analysis (RCA), fix proposals, and supporting data in a clear and structured format for both internal and external stakeholders.

Technical Handoff & Closure

Conduct technical handoff meetings to ensure smooth knowledge transfer and formal case closure with all relevant teams.

Cross-functional Collaboration

Engage with design, applications, test, and quality engineering teams to share learnings, drive design improvements, and contribute to sustaining quality initiatives. Ensure impactful dissemination of knowledge across Renesas design teams for lessons learned.

• Demonstrate risk astuteness, proactively implementing solutions with minimal input from the Manager Recognition for technical expertise in analog design across PMIC organization, demonstrated through proactive use of forums eg lunch and learns / skills training
• Demonstrate elements of Renesas values in all aspects of work
• Demonstrate continuous improvement of technical and non-technical skills, measured through manager review.

Qualifications

Typically 12-15+ years' experience in IC design, with a strong focus on debug, failure analysis, or sustaining engineering

• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to drive structured, data-driven root cause investigations independently and collaboratively
• Demonstrated experience diagnosing complex silicon or system-level failures across mixed-signal PMIC environments
• Solid understanding of analog and digital circuit behavior, waveform analysis, and how design implementation manifests on silicon.

Hands-on experience with industry-standard EDA and debug tools (e.g., Synopsys, Cadence, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, simulation environments)

• Strong attention to detail and accuracy, with the ability to produce clear, concise technical reports and customer-facing documentation
• Excellent written and verbal cross-functional communication skills, including experience presenting technical findings to customers Structured problem-solving approach – open to new perspectives and able to build consensus across engineering and customer teams Experience with FA lab processes, failure analysis techniques (e.g.

SEM, FIB, emission microscopy), and interpretation of physical failure analysis results

• Knowledge of Verilog, Verilog-AMS or scripting languages used to support debug automation or simulation
• Familiarity with 8D problem-solving methodology, structured debug reports, and customer quality processes Education BSEE or MSEE (Bachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering)