Customer Engagement Director - PDK Enablement

Job Title

Customer Engagement Director - PDK Enablement

Role Summary

Lead a foundry PDK enablement (foundry PE) team to develop, integrate, validate, and release process design kits (PDKs) and associated technology files for customers. Provide technical leadership across PDK QA, tooling, and customer/foundry engagements.

Work directly with foundries, customers, and R&D to ensure PDKs meet verification, extraction, and reliability requirements.

Experience Level

Senior-level — requires 15+ years of related experience.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include technical leadership of PDK development, quality assurance, tooling support, and customer/foundry interactions.

• Lead a foundry PE team and manage PDK development projects with minimal supervision.
• Develop and integrate foundry rule decks and technology files to support PDKs.
• Perform PDK QA: DRC, LVS, PEX, EMIR, Pcell/layout verification, model validation, reliability and DFM checks, regression testing, and release management.
• Create scripts and automation to port design databases, device parameters, layout layers, and via mappings.
• Promote and enhance PDK development tools (e.g., Pcell designer, auto-validation kits) and workflows.
• Provide real-time tool support, develop workarounds for issues, and file defect reports/escalations to R&D.
• Collaborate with customers and foundries to meet production and verification needs.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; listed preferences under "Nice-to-have." Education requirements are summarized separately below.

• Must-have: Hands-on experience leading PDK teams or owning PDK development projects.
• Must-have: Deep understanding of analog design flows, including circuit and layout design, physical verification (DRC/LVS/Dummy Fill), and post-layout RC extraction.
• Must-have: Proficiency in scripting/programming languages such as PERL, TCL, and SKILL.
• Must-have: Solid understanding of SPICE models and simulation flows.
• Nice-to-have: Direct foundry experience or background working with major foundries.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with Cadence PAS / Pcell Designer tools and PDK development tool promotion or enhancement.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree required with 15+ years of related working experience. Master’s (MS) is a plus. No specific field of study or certifications were specified in the posting.

About the Company

Company: Cadence Design Systems

Headquarters: San Jose, California, USA

Cadence Design Systems is a global electronic design automation company that provides software, hardware, and intellectual property for designing advanced semiconductor chips. With over 25 years in the industry, Cadence is known for its innovative technology solutions and has been recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. The company is dedicated to solving complex technical challenges in order to enable customers to create revolutionary products and experiences.