Cadence Tempus Timing Engineer Jobs: Browse STA Roles

Cadence Tempus is the timing signoff engine teams reach for when the rest of the flow already runs on Cadence. Close timing in Innovus, synthesize in Genus, and Tempus keeps signoff in the same database instead of shipping netlists out to a separate tool. Roles built around it want one thing up front: signoff-accurate static timing analysis on the Cadence side of the flow.

The core of the job is multi-corner multi-mode analysis. You set up MCMM runs in Tempus, write and validate the SDC constraints behind them, and read timing reports closely enough to tell a real violation from a bad constraint. ECO work fills a lot of the week. Tempus proposes the cell swaps, buffer insertions, and wire sizing that close each path, and you apply the patch in Innovus with ecoRoute and ecoAddCells. Many listings also expect the Integrated Signoff Flow, where Tempus engines run inside Innovus so timing feedback shows up during place and route rather than after it.

These openings sit under the broader set of static timing analysis roles, and interviewers usually want to know which signoff tool you learned first. Tempus and Synopsys PrimeTime cover the same ground, MCMM, crosstalk, POCV, and ECO modes, so the methodology carries over; what changes is the integration story and the command set.

Demand tracks EDA vendor choice more than company size. Fabless SoC groups and IDMs standardized on the Cadence implementation flow are the ones posting for Tempus by name, and the pool has widened as more teams put synthesis, place and route, and signoff under one vendor. Startups feel tool switches hardest, so a Tempus engineer who has already run a full flow is worth more to them than a generalist.

Signoff timing is senior work and pay follows. In the US, mid to senior STA roles generally run about $130K to $190K base, with staff and principal levels higher once stock and bonus count. The salary guide for semiconductor jobs has the level-by-level breakdown.

Timing signoff openings move fast and often close before they are widely posted. Save a Tempus or STA search on semidesignjobs.com and matching roles land in your inbox the day they open.

FAQ

How does Cadence Tempus compare to Synopsys PrimeTime for STA signoff?

Both are proven signoff tools with equivalent coverage: MCMM analysis, SI crosstalk, POCV variation modeling, and ECO modes. Teams on Cadence-centric flows choose Tempus for its tight coupling with Innovus and Genus. The STA methodology transfers cleanly between the two, so most of what you know from one applies directly to the other.

What is the Tempus-Innovus Integrated Signoff Flow, and why does it help physical design teams?

The Integrated Signoff Flow runs Tempus timing engines inside the Innovus environment, so you get signoff-accurate timing during place and route without exporting netlists to a standalone tool. That shortens the loop between implementation and timing closure and lets you make timing-driven routing and ECO calls with near-signoff accuracy.

What ECO capabilities does Cadence Tempus provide?

Tempus generates ECO patches for timing violations, recommending the specific cell swaps, buffer insertions, and wire sizing changes that close each path. You apply the patch in Innovus using ecoRoute and ecoAddCells. Tempus supports both functional ECO, for design-intent changes, and timing ECO, for physical optimization.