Software Engineer II - Compiler/LLVM

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Cadence is a pivotal leader in electronic design, building upon more than 30 years of computational software expertise. The company applies its underlying Intelligent System Design strategy to deliver software, hardware and IP that turn design concepts into reality.

Cadence customers are the world’s most innovative companies, delivering extraordinary electronic products from chips to boards to systems for the most dynamic market applications including consumer, hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, aerospace industrial and health.

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.Job Title: Software Engineer II - Compiler/LLVM

Location: Cork, Ireland or Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Reports to: Sr Software Architect

Job Overview:

Tensilica, a Cadence company, delivers configurable processor IP and DSP solutions powering AI, vision, audio, and communications workloads. Its Xtensa® architecture enables highly optimised, domain‑specific designs with industry‑leading performance and efficiency.

The C Compiler team builds the toolchain that unlocks this performance. Working on LLVM‑based compilers for Xtensa processors, the team focuses on high‑quality code generation, architecture‑aware optimisations, and real‑world workload performance.

In close partnership with hardware and architecture teams, they enable new capabilities and deliver production‑grade tools used by leading semiconductor and systems companies.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and enhance compiler components for Tensilica/Xtensa architectures
• Work on code generation, instruction selection, and core optimizations
• Collaborate with hardware and architecture teams to enable new features
• Analyze performance and debug compiler/system-level issues

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Approximately 2+ years of academic or industry experience in systems software, compilers, or low‑level development (flag for human review if strictly required)
• Strong programming skills in C and/or C++
• Foundational understanding of compiler concepts and/or computer architecture

Nice to Have:

• Exposure to LLVM, GCC, or similar compiler frameworks
• Experience with embedded systems or performance analysis