Jun 23, 2026
General Description
Cortus is a fabless semiconductor manufacturing group with a presence in several EU countries. The company designs and sells RISC-V microcontrollers (MCUs) and AI inference chips for automotive and avionics markets.
Cortus develops a broad portfolio of proprietary IP and provides a complete software ecosystem, including IDE, compiler, debugger, SDK, and development boards.
Over 18 billion devices have been produced using Cortus processors and IP, with around 1.2 billion units shipped annually. Cortus is also one of the dozen Platinum Founding Member of the RISC-V Foundation.
To support our continued growth, we are seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial Site Director / Site Manager to lead and expand our engineering and business activities in Lecce.
Role Overview
The Site Director / Site Manager will be responsible for the overall success of the Lecce site, including people leadership, operational execution, business development support, academic partnerships, and long-term strategic growth.
This position requires a hands-on leader capable of building high-performing teams, developing relationships with customers and institutions, and creating an environment where innovation and engineering excellence can thrive.
The successful candidate will work closely with executive leadership, engineering teams, universities, and industry partners to develop and manage the Lecce site as a center of excellence for automotive software, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, and RISC-V technologies, driving innovation, talent development, and strategic growth.
The primary objective of this role is to drive technical and organizational excellence in the development of Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) technologies and platforms.
Key Responsibilities
Site Leadership
- Lead the day-to-day operations of the Lecce site.
- Define and execute site growth plans aligned with company objectives.
- Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Ensure effective communication between local teams and global management.
Team Building and Talent Development
- Recruit, develop, and retain high-potential engineers and technical professionals.
- Establish a strong engineering culture focused on learning, ownership, and technical excellence.
- Support employee growth through mentoring, coaching, and career development initiatives.
- Collaborate with HR to attract top talent from universities and industry.
Business Development Support
- Support customer engagement activities and technical discussions.
- Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships and new business initiatives.
- Represent Cortus at industry conferences, trade shows, and technical events.
- Strengthen relationships with automotive, industrial, aerospace, and semiconductor ecosystem partners.
Academic and Research Partnerships
- Develop strong collaborations with universities, research centers, and innovation clusters.
- Promote internship, thesis, and graduate recruitment programs.
- Support participation in national and European research projects.
- Expand Cortus’ visibility within academic and technology communities.
Operational Management
- Manage site budgets and operational resources.
- Ensure compliance with company policies and local regulations.
- Monitor performance indicators and implement improvement initiatives.
- Support project planning and resource allocation activities.
Strategic Growth
- Contribute to the long-term development of Cortus’ software and semiconductor activities.
- Identify opportunities to expand local competencies in embedded systems, AI, RISC-V, automotive software, and Software-Defined Vehicle technologies.
- Help establish the Lecce site as a strategic innovation hub within the Cortus group.
Qualifications
We are looking for a leader who combines strong management capabilities with a passion for technology and people development.
Required
- Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Electronics, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Experience leading engineering, technology, research, or innovation teams.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication abilities.
- Proven ability to build and motivate multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to engage effectively with customers, partners, universities, and public institutions.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Fluent English and Italian.
We value
- Motivation to build deep expertise in automotive and Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) technologies.
- Long-term commitment to personal growth, team development, and organizational success.
- Strong ownership mentality with clear accountability for results and deliverables.
- High standards of integrity, reliability, and professional ethics.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to initiate and build new technical and organizational activities.
- Passion for innovation and emerging technologies.
- Commitment to developing people and fostering high-performing engineering teams.
- Strategic thinking combined with strong execution capability.
- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships across technical, business, and academic ecosystems.
Nice to Have
- Experience in semiconductors, embedded systems, automotive, aerospace, or software industries.
- Familiarity with RISC-V, AI, embedded software, or Software-Defined Vehicle technologies.
- Experience managing research and development organizations.
- Knowledge of public funding programs and European research initiatives.
- Experience working in international and multicultural environments.
Why Join Us
- Lead the development of a strategic Cortus engineering site in Southern Italy.
- Play a key role in shaping future automotive, AI, and RISC-V technologies.
- Build and develop high-performing engineering teams.
- Work directly with executive leadership and global technology partners.
- Create lasting impact on the growth and success of an innovative semiconductor company.
- Contribute to the development of one of Europe’s most promising RISC-V technology ecosystems.
Jun 23, 2026
General Description
Cortus is a fabless semiconductor manufacturing group with a presence in several EU countries. The company designs and sells RISC-V microcontrollers (MCUs) and AI inference chips for automotive and avionics markets. Cortus develops a broad portfolio of proprietary IP and provides a complete software ecosystem, including IDE, compiler, debugger, SDK, and development boards.Over 18 billion devices have been produced using Cortus processors and IP, with around 1.2 billion units shipped annually. Cortus is also one of the dozen Platinium Founding Member of the RSCV-V Foundation.
Role Overview
We are building the next generation of automotive software platforms for Software-Defined vehicles (SDV). We are seeking talented Software Engineers to develop reusable, and scalable software solutions for vehicle electronic systems, connectivity platforms, diagnostics, cybersecurity, and cloud-connected vehicle services.
This role focuses on creating proprietary software frameworks while maintaining automotive quality, safety, and cybersecurity standards.
The successful candidate will work closely with system architects, hardware engineers and OEM partners to define and implement future vehicle software architectures.
Key Responsibilities
Software Platform Development
- Design and develop modular automotive software platforms for embedded and edge computing systems.
- Create reusable software components, middleware, and framework services for vehicle applications.
- Define software architecture supporting multiple vehicle programs and hardware platforms.
- Develop hardware abstraction layers and platform services for microcontrollers and high-performance computing systems.
Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV)
- Develop service-oriented software architectures for connected vehicle applications.
- Design vehicle APIs and software services supporting centralized vehicle computing.
- Contribute to domain controller and zonal architecture software development.
- Implement software lifecycle management solutions for vehicle applications.
Connectivity and Cloud Integration
- Develop cloud-connected vehicle software solutions.
- Implement telemetry, remote diagnostics, and vehicle data collection services.
- Support over-the-air (OTA) software and firmware update mechanisms.
- Develop secure communication interfaces between vehicles and cloud platforms
Vehicle Communication and Diagnostics
- Develop communication services supporting CAN, CAN FD, LIN, Ethernet, SOME/IP, and DoIP.
- Design and implement diagnostic frameworks supporting UDS and remote diagnostics.
- Develop logging, monitoring, and software traceability solutions.
Cybersecurity and Safety
- Implement secure boot, authentication, encryption, and key management solutions.
- Support compliance with automotive cybersecurity standards.
- Contribute to safety-oriented software architectures and development processes.
- Participate in software risk analysis and mitigation activities.
Engineering Excellence
- Perform software design reviews, code reviews, and technical assessments.
- Develop automated testing and validation frameworks.
- Support CI/CD implementation and software quality initiatives.
- Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical leadership activities.
Qualifications
We welcome applications from both junior and experienced software engineers. While prior automotive experience is an advantage, we believe that motivation, curiosity, commitment, and the desire to continuously learn are the strongest predictors of success.
Required
We welcome applications from both Engineers and Technicians. The final level and role assignment will depend on experience, skills, and interview evaluation.
- Degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electronics Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
- Strong interest in software development and emerging automotive technologies.
- Basic knowledge of programming in C, C++, Python, and similar languages.
- Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a collaborative engineering environment.
- Good communication skills and willingness to learn from experienced team members.
- Passion for technology, innovation, and continuous improvement.
We value
- Motivation to build expertise in automotive and Software-Defined Vehicle technologies.
- Long-term commitment to personal and professional growth.
- Ownership mentality and accountability for delivered work.
- Reliability, integrity, and a strong work ethic.
- Curiosity and eagerness to learn new technologies and development methodologies.
- Team spirit and willingness to contribute to a shared vision.
- Desire to participate in the creation of proprietary software platforms and innovative engineering solutions.
Nice to Have
- Exposure to embedded systems, Linux, automotive technologies, or cloud platforms.
- Personal software projects, open-source contributions, internships, or academic projects.
- Familiarity with Git, software testing, or DevOps practices.
- Understanding of communication protocols such as CAN, Automotive Ethernet.
Why Join Us
- Be part of a company actively shaping the future of RISC-V and automotive computing.
- Work on innovative Software-Defined Vehicle technologies and next-generation automotive platforms.
- Contribute to the creation of proprietary software solutions and long-term intellectual property.
- Learn from experienced semiconductor and software engineers.
- Grow your technical expertise in embedded systems, automotive software, cybersecurity, connectivity, and cloud technologies.
- Work in an international and highly innovative engineering environment.
- Have a direct impact on products deployed in millions of devices worldwide.
Jun 4, 2026
Description of the role :
To strengthen our digital hardware team, we are looking for a Senior Digital IC Hardware Engineer (F/M) for our sites in Mauguio (34) or Meyreuil (13).
Reporting to the Technical Director, you will integrate the existing digital team and work closely with system architects and the mixed-signal team. You will be core to our development of High-Performance RISC-V processors.
Key Responsibilities:
- Participate in the architecture and design of advanced embedded systems and high-performance SoC solutions.
- Develop complex modules (intellectual properties) following the company’s methodologies.
- Work on the entire design flow: specification, RTL coding, design, simulation, synthesis, and testing.
- Collaborate on embedded software applications, mainly for benchmarks, tests, and demonstrators.
Minimum requirements :
- Education: Master’s degree in Electronics, Telecommunications, or Computer Science.
- Experience: Proven 5 to 10+ years of experience as a digital designer.
- Core Technical Skills:
- Strong proficiency in Logic Design, RTL Design, and RTL Coding using SystemVerilog or VHDL.
- Solid knowledge of microprocessor architectures, specifically targeting High-Performance RISC-V processors.
- Deep understanding of hardware concepts: MMU, TLB, Cache mechanisms, and Hypervisor support.
- Experience with RTL simulations, development tools for synthesis, and debug.
- Languages: Professional working proficiency in English (written and spoken).
Highly preferred skills (plus) :
- Experience in Formal Verification or UVM process (Coverage-Driven Constrained Random functional verification).
- Knowledge of semiconductor design principles, FPGA, and ASIC design flows.
- Scripting and software development skills (C/C++, Python, Matlab).
- Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment with distributed teams
Job Type & Benefits:
- Contract: Full-time and permanent.
- Primary Locations: Mauguio (34) or Meyreuil (13), France.
- Work flexibility: Remote working up to 2 days per week (after integration period) + Flexible hours.
- Perks: Restaurant vouchers (SWILE), Holiday bonus, Referral bonus.
May 5, 2026
Cortus is a fabless semiconductor manufacturing group with a presence in several EU countries. The company designs and sells RISC-V microcontrollers (MCUs) and AI inference chips for automotive and avionics markets. Cortus develops a broad portfolio of proprietary IP and provides a complete software ecosystem, including IDE, compiler, debugger, SDK, and development boards. Over 18 billion devices have been produced using Cortus processors and IP, with around 1.2 billion units shipped annually. Cortus is also one of the dozen Platinum Founding Member of the RISC-V Foundation. Cortus is at the forefront of advanced AI inference chip development.
We are seeking Software Engineers (m/f), with a focus on compiler engineering for AI applications, to join our R&D Center of Excellence in Lecce.
Role Overview
We are building core technology for real-time AI in autonomous driving. Our focus is not on training larger models, but on making them run efficiently and reliably on specialized hardware, this is fundamentally a systems problem. We are looking for engineers to develop the “compiler” layer that takes trained AI models (ONNX) and maps them onto our custom AI hardware for high-performance inference.
You will work at the intersection of:
- Compiler design
- Performance optimization
- Neural network execution
Key Responsibilities
- Convert ONNX models (e.g. YOLO-style networks) into optimized execution graphs
- Map neural network layers onto compute resources under memory, bandwidth, and latency constraints
- Optimize execution through graph transformations (splitting, fusion, scheduling)
- Manage and optimize data movement across the system
- Build tools and infrastructure to ensure robustness and scalability
- Collaborate closely with architecture and system teams
Profile
- Strong understanding of how software executes on hardware
- Ability to reason about performance trade-offs (compute vs memory vs communication)
- Experience with compilers, graph-based systems, or complex software stacks
- Good understanding of neural network structures and execution
- Fluent in English (written and spoken)
Nice to Have
- Experience with compiler frameworks (e.g., LLVM, MLIR, TVM)
- Experience optimizing large-scale or low-latency systems
- Familiarity with ONNX or deep learning frameworks
Why Join Us
- You will define how AI models actually run—not how they are trained
- Your work will have a direct impact on real-world performance
- You will work on challenging problems at the intersection of software and real-world hardware constraints
Oct 30, 2025
General description
Cortus is at the forefront of edge-cutting AI inference chiplet development. We are seeking a Senior Digital IC Design Engineer (m/f) to join our R&D Center of Excellence in Mauguio and strengthen our on-site hardware design team.
Role Overview
As a Senior Digital IC Engineer, you will be a key contributor and technical lead in the design and development of complex digital integrated circuits (ICs), including System-on-Chip (SoC) and IP cores for AI accelerators. You will also lead the AI accelerator branch, managing and mentoring the engineering team.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design, implementation, and verification of digital ICs for AI inference accelerators.
- Manage the engineering team, providing guidance and technical support.
- Participate in all phases of the ASIC/IC development lifecycle, from specification to tape-out.
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, ensuring high-quality and timely delivery.
Minimum requirements
- Education: PhD in Computer Science, Electronics, or Engineering, or MSc in Computer Science/Electronics, or equivalent.
- Experience: Deep experience in defining IPs, CPU architecture, and digital IC implementation.
- Technical Skills:
- Knowledge of configuration database management (Git, SVN).
- Scheduling and reporting activities.
- Language: Proficient in English, both written and spoken.
- Professional Skills:
- Proven communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to assume responsibility for a variety of technical tasks and troubleshooting.
- Strong sense of responsibility and ability to meet deadlines.
Candidates with higher educational degree (PhD) and/or extensive professional experience involving similar requirements are strongly exhorted to apply since the related skills will be strongly taken into account within the fast-growing context of the CORTUS’ organization.
Highly preferred skills
Architecture & Computation Knowledge:
- Familiarity with AI/ML hardware accelerators or neural network architectures (e.g., CNNs, ViTs).
- Exposure to AI/ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch).
- Knowledge of floating-point formats: FP32, FP16, FP8, FP4.
- Understanding of floating-point operators.
- Experience with SIMD computing units and tensor processing units.
- Awareness of performance bottlenecks in AI workloads on embedded hardware.
Job type and locations
- Employment Type: Full-time, permanent contract.
- Primary Location: Mauguio, Hérault, France.
Application Reference
Application reference: FR-MP-291025-DIG-AI
Benefits of working at CORTUS
This position is intended for mid-level engineers (higher levels will be considered for the ideal candidate) and comes with an attractive compensation package, including:
- Competitive salary
- Meal card and comprehensive health and care insurance
- A culture that values collaboration, teamwork, and recognition, accomplishments are duly celebrated
At CORTUS, we believe in creating an environment where innovation thrives, and where every team member can contribute meaningfully to next-generation technology.
Additional information
CORTUS is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcomes applications from candidates eager to join an environment that encourages initiative, flexibility, and creativity.
Successful candidates will join a team of highly experienced engineers and innovators working passionately across a wide range of technologies from silicon chip design to cloud-based software interfaces.
We promote transparency and open communication through regular Q&A sessions with the executive team, and support a healthy work-life balance with an open time-off policy and a culture of mutual respect and trust.
Sep 1, 2025
CORTUs is looking for DIGITAL VERIFICATION ENGINEER in Italy with permanent contract.
You will be part of the Hardware Design team, involved in design, verification and physical implementation. Your primary focus will be the verification of System-on-Chip (SoC), IP blocks, and full custom ASIC/IC designs.
Your responsibilities will include :
- Defining verification strategies and testbench architectures (System Verilog, UVM, C-driven, etc) based on circuit specifications to ensure optimal verification coverage
- Developing detailed verification plans aligned with design specifications
- Creating and implementing verification environment and test sequences according to the verification plans
- Taking ownership of verification strategy definition, implementation and ensuring the overall quality of the verification process
- Supervising and mentoring junior verification engineers
- Continuously improving the verification flow and methodology
Minimum requirements
- Engineering Msc. or Bsc. degree in Electronics/Telecommunications/Computer Science or equivalent;
- Deep experience in defining IPs test specification in closed collaboration with product definers and architects;
- Strong experience on digital verification methodologies (Formal and UVM) using state of the art EDA tools;
- Understand and debug digital RTL;
- Determine technology requirements, dependencies and deliverables based on project specifications;
- Experience inwriting IP verification plans, creating test benches and automating regression test suites to ensure 100% coverage prior tape-out;
- Experience with mixed signal (analog, digital) verification methodologies using state of the art EDA tools;
- Capability in developing behavioral models for analog IPs, understand and debug analog schematics;
- Knowledge of Design For Testability (DFT) techniques;
- Knowledge in configuration database management (Git, SVN);
- English language written and spoken
- Proven communication/interpersonal skills;
- Able to assume responsibility for a variety of technical tasks and troubleshooting;
- Strong sense of responsibility and ability to achieve deadlines.
Job type, primary locations and application reference
Full time with permanent contract
Primary locations: LECCE, (Apulia region), Italy
