Director, Silicon Physical Design CAD

Job Title

Director, Silicon Physical Design CAD

Role Summary

Lead the Physical Design Methodology & CAD team in Bangalore to define and scale RTL-to-GDSII flows, CAD strategy, automation frameworks, and sign-off solutions across Microsoft's silicon programs. Partner with global engineering teams and EDA vendors to deliver complex SoCs for Microsoft's cloud infrastructure.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 12+ years of relevant experience in Physical Design, CAD, EDA, or Silicon Engineering, with 5+ years managing engineering teams.

Responsibilities

Accountable for technical leadership, delivery, and cross-team alignment for physical design methodologies and CAD solutions.

• Build and lead a Physical Design Methodology & CAD engineering team in India.
• Define and execute long-term vision and strategy for physical design methodologies and CAD tooling.
• Deliver scalable RTL-to-GDSII flows, automation frameworks, and design-closure solutions to enable predictable execution and first-pass silicon success.
• Drive AI- and data-driven improvements to physical design flows, automation, and infrastructure.
• Collaborate with architecture, design, verification, infrastructure, and program teams to meet schedule and quality targets for complex SoCs.
• Engage and influence EDA vendors to shape tool roadmaps and resolve complex toolchain issues.
• Measure and improve quality, productivity, compute efficiency, cost optimization, and engineering effectiveness across the silicon lifecycle.

Requirements

Must-have technical experience and leadership qualifications. Education details are summarized separately below.

• Must-have: 12+ years in Physical Design, CAD, EDA, or Silicon Engineering with deep semiconductor methodology and workflow expertise.
• Must-have: 5+ years leading and developing engineering teams, mentoring technical leads and senior engineers.
• Must-have: Proven experience defining, building, and scaling CAD methodologies, automation frameworks, and engineering workflows for complex SoC/ASIC programs.
• Must-have: Demonstrated ability to align stakeholders across globally distributed teams and drive cross-functional initiatives.
• Must-have: Track record of improving productivity, quality, predictability, and time-to-market through investments in methodology, automation, infrastructure, and tooling.
• Preferred: Deep expertise in RTL-to-GDSII implementation and sign-off methodologies.
• Preferred: Experience leading Physical Design methodology or CAD teams across multiple silicon programs.
• Preferred: Experience driving AI-enabled or data-driven transformation initiatives in silicon engineering workflows.
• Preferred: Hands-on experience building/scaling compute infrastructure, cloud-native engineering platforms, or large-scale EDA environments.
• Preferred: Strong programming and automation skills (Python, Tcl, Perl, Shell, or similar).
• Preferred: Experience with industry-standard EDA tools and vendor engagement (Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, etc.).
• Preferred: Experience in datacenter, AI/ML, networking, or high-performance computing silicon development.
• Ability to meet Microsoft Cloud Background Check and other required security screenings.

Education Requirements

Required: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field. Preferred: Master's degree in a related technical field (listed as preferred for senior candidates).

About the Company

Company: Microsoft

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States

Microsoft is a global technology company that develops and sells software, services, devices, and solutions. Known for its Windows operating system, Office suite, and Azure cloud platform, Microsoft aims to empower individuals and organizations around the world to achieve more. The company fosters a culture of innovation and inclusion, focusing on delivering trusted experiences to customers and partners globally.