Replacing 30 Years of Expertise for a Critical SoC Architecture Hire

A Bay Area semiconductor group needed to replace a Systems Architect who had spent more than 30 years with the organization. The position combined deep expertise across computer architecture, embedded systems, firmware, FPGA technology, and SoC design: a challenging mix to identify in a single SME.

Compounding the challenge, the company had never recruited externally for the role, and sought guidance on the compensation package required for the level of technical depth and ownership required.

Sigil began by translating the client’s institutional knowledge into a clearly defined profile. To help guide the client's important decisions around comp guidance, we mapped the available market, presented representative talent, and established realistic expectations around candidate availability and experience.

Using that market intelligence, we worked with the client to recalibrate the position and compensation package while conducting a highly targeted search for engineers capable of owning complex SoC architecture and implementation across hardware, firmware, and embedded systems.

• Successfully placed a highly specialized Systems Architect capable of assuming ownership from a 30+ year incumbent.
• Helped the client recalibrate the role to market: increasing base compensation by $80,000 and adding $20,000 in RSUs to secure the selected candidate.
• The successful placement expanded the relationship into an additional Systems Administrator search
• Sigil filled the subsequent search in less than two weeks.