IP Physical Design Engineer (Sr. Lead/Staff)
QualcommJob Title
IP Physical Design Engineer (Sr. Lead/Staff)
Role Summary
Senior physical design engineer responsible for end-to-end IP physical implementation and signoff. Works on advanced-node IPs to carry designs from netlist to GDS, collaborating with front-end, STA/CAD, verification, and integration teams.
Experience Level
Senior - typically 6 to 10 years of relevant physical design experience (senior/lead/staff level).
Responsibilities
Deliver IP-level physical design and signoff through collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Perform floorplanning, power planning, placement, CTS, routing, and physical verification for IPs.
- Drive timing closure using STA flows (PrimeTime and/or Tempus) and signoff methodologies.
- Resolve timing, congestion, DRC/LVS, EM/IR, and integration issues.
- Own end-to-end physical implementation from netlist to GDS for advanced technology nodes.
- Integrate with mixed-signal and high-speed IP teams and support cross-team handoffs.
- Automate flows and analyses to improve productivity and reproducibility.
- Communicate status and technical trade-offs to stakeholders; manage multiple programs and schedules.
Requirements
Core technical and practical skills required for the role.
- Extensive hands-on experience in IP physical design flow (placement, CTS, routing, verification).
- Proven timing-closure experience and knowledge of setup/hold analysis, OCV/POCV, and clocking architectures.
- Experience with industry EDA place-and-route, STA, and physical verification tools.
- Strong scripting and automation skills (Tcl, Python) for flow automation and debug.
- Ability to analyze and debug timing, congestion, and signoff-related issues at IP level.
- Familiarity with mixed-signal and high-speed IP integration and cross-functional collaboration.
- Effective verbal and written communication and stakeholder-management skills.
- Nice-to-have: familiarity with AI-driven methodologies applied to design flows and advanced-node signoff experience.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering, or a related field (with 4+ years experience) OR Master's degree in those fields (with 3+ years) OR PhD in those fields (with 2+ years). Equivalent practical experience will be considered.
About the Company
Company: Qualcomm
Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.
