Arm CPU Design Engineer Jobs: Latest Openings
Almost every smartphone sold today runs an Arm core, and Arm is now pushing the same architecture into data center servers and automotive compute. Arm CPU design engineers build the Cortex-A, Cortex-M, and Neoverse cores behind that reach, working across microarchitecture, RTL implementation, verification, and performance modeling.
The day-to-day is pipeline, cache, and branch-prediction work, coding in SystemVerilog or VHDL, and running the performance simulation infrastructure that proves a new microarchitecture hits its PPA targets. Fluency with the Armv9 ISA and its memory model is expected, not a nice-to-have.
Because Arm ships CPU IP rather than finished chips, its engineers design for hundreds of licensees at once. A single Cortex core has to satisfy a wearables vendor and a hyperscaler in the same release, so the PPA tradeoffs get scrutinized harder than they would at a company building for one product.
The organization splits into design, verification, and physical implementation teams for each product family: Cortex-A for high-performance mobile, Cortex-M for embedded microcontrollers, and Neoverse for cloud and networking infrastructure. Arm has a long record of promoting from within to principal and distinguished engineer, so early-career hires who want an architecture track have somewhere to go.
SemiDesignJobs aggregates Arm CPU design engineer jobs from the company's main design centers: Cambridge in the UK for the core CPU team, Austin for Neoverse, Raleigh and San Jose in the US, and Bengaluru for verification and physical design. You can filter by product line, location, or experience level. For a wider view of processor roles beyond Arm, see our general CPU design engineer listings.
If you want to stay inside the Arm stack, check related openings for Arm verification engineers and CPU design roles in Cambridge, UK.
Pay tracks the seniority ladder. In the US, new-graduate CPU design engineers at Arm generally start around $110K to $140K base, mid-level engineers land in the $150K to $190K range, and staff or principal engineers reach $250K to $350K in total comp once equity and bonus are counted. UK and India roles pay to their local markets. Our semiconductor salary guide breaks the numbers down further.
Arm keeps adding headcount as Armv9, the Confidential Compute Architecture, and the Total Design program pull in more custom-SoC work. Save a search on semidesignjobs.com and you will get an email when a role matching your filters opens.
FAQ
What makes Arm CPU design engineer jobs different
Arm's CPU designs are IP products licensed to hundreds of chip companies, so its engineers design for a wide range of customers and use cases at once. That puts heavy weight on PPA tradeoffs and on understanding what very different licensees actually need from the same core.
What experience level does Arm hire for CPU design roles
Arm hires across the board, from new graduates to principal engineers. Entry-level candidates lean on a strong computer-architecture background from school, while senior candidates are expected to bring prior CPU or GPU RTL design experience.
Which Arm offices focus on CPU design engineering
The main CPU design hubs are Cambridge, UK for the core team, Austin, TX for Neoverse, and Bengaluru, India for verification and physical design. SemiDesignJobs shows the office location on every Arm listing.