Project Manager (All Levels)
About the job
- Understanding of hardware product development and system integration across mechanical, electrical, software, and industrial design domains.
- Ability to apply agile methodologies to hardware and software development.
- Experience managing technical risk and cost, schedule, and performance tradeoffs.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects.
- Experience working with tightly integrated multidisciplinary teams, including professional or academic teams such as Formula SAE or Solar Car.
- Strong communication skills to convey technical concepts clearly to engineers and clients.
- Comfort working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with evolving scope.
- Support and/or lead client-facing hardware development projects from initiation to completion.
- Lead statement of work development, cost and schedule estimation, and contract strategy.
- Partner closely with mechanical, electrical, software, and industrial design teams.
- Translate client needs into clear technical objectives, schedules, and deliverables.
- Manage project plans, timelines, budgets, and resources in a dynamic environment.
- Communicate project status, risks, and next steps to internal teams and clients.
- Own the client relationship, drive client satisfaction, and work with clients to create win-win opportunities for growth.
- Help resolve technical, schedule, and interpersonal conflicts with a calm, solutions-oriented approach.
- Balance scope, cost, schedule, and performance tradeoffs.
- Develop long-lasting client relationships, leading to diverse projects across product lines and the product lifecycle.
- Experience with embedded hardware and controls development is a strong plus.
About the company
Motivo provides AI-driven analytics for the semiconductor design and manufacturing process. Its software analyzes the full chip workflow from RTL to layout using a proprietary learning-on-graph approach (M-Graph) to automatically extract data-driven features. Its modules include M-DVP for accelerating design validation, M-TCO for faster timing convergence, and M-OPT for improving manufacturing yield. The system offers explainable AI to identify root causes of yield problems and prescribes actionable steps, helping teams reduce design validation time and increase yield. Motivo differentiates itself with end-to-end, data-centric optimization that spans design and manufacturing, grounded in graph-based learning and an emphasis on explainability. The company aims to help fabless design houses and other semiconductor firms shorten development cycles and lower costs when designing and ramping up new chips.
Company Size
1-10
Company Stage
Series A
Total Funding
$20.5M
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
Founded
2015
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Motivo still publicly markets AI yield and timing tools on updated 2026 pages.
- The company claims 10x cycle-time improvements across multiple chip-design steps.
- Semiconductor complexity keeps creating demand for faster validation and manufacturability analytics.
What critics are saying
- No verified customer wins, revenue, or product launches appeared in 2025-2026 public reporting.
- Motivo’s only dated financing remains the August 2021 Series A, signaling limited external momentum.
- Silicon Valley EDA rivals can outspend Motivo quickly, making a breakout designation hard.
What makes Motivo unique
- Motivo’s M-Graph platform applies explainable AI across RTL-to-layout chip workflows.
- Its 2026 site emphasizes learning-on-graph methods for validation, timing closure, and yield.
- Intel Capital led Motivo’s $12 million Series A in August 2021.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- 401(k) Company Match
- Paid Vacation
- Profit Sharing