Digital ASIC Design Engineer

Job Title

Digital ASIC Design Engineer

Role Summary

Develop and verify digital ASIC designs from architecture through implementation for mission-critical systems. Work on front-end digital systems design within multidisciplinary teams, delivering documented, testable hardware solutions.

Position sits in an engineering team focused on high-assurance and high-performance ASICs; candidates must hold an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Typical experience: 5–7 years with a Bachelor's, 3–5 years with a Master's, or 0–2 years with a PhD in ASIC hardware engineering or related field.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include design, verification, and integration of digital ASICs and support of related program activities.

• Contribute to system-level architecture and chip design decisions.
• Design and optimize hardware for performance, power, and cost.
• Develop HDL (SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL) and perform simulation and synthesis.
• Perform design verification, linting, and participate in tape-out activities.
• Evaluate hardware feasibility of algorithms and requirements; propose solutions when requirements are incomplete.
• Document designs and write detailed design specifications.
• Mentor junior engineers and share best practices; contribute to proposals and business-development when needed.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, clearance, and experience for immediate contribution. Nice-to-have items are listed separately.

• Must-have: Active U.S. Secret security clearance required and ability to obtain/maintain government clearance.
• Must-have: Proficiency in integrated circuit design and front-end digital design flows (Cadence or Synopsys).
• Must-have: Fluent in SystemVerilog, Verilog, or VHDL; experience with lint, simulation, and synthesis tools.
• Must-have: Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to produce detailed design documentation.
• Must-have: Proven ability to meet program deadlines and manage/prioritize tasks.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with secure-system architectures (cryptographic encoders/decoders, tagged processors).
• Nice-to-have: Demonstrated successful tape-outs at advanced process nodes and experience leading small design teams.

Education Requirements

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field. Master’s degree is preferred. PhD is acceptable and mapped to reduced experience expectations (0–2 years with PhD).

About the Company

Company: Draper

Headquarters: Cambridge, MA, United States

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. With over 2,000 employees, Draper develops advanced technologies in defense, space, biomedical engineering, and other national-security and commercial domains through multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists.