Lead Design Engineer

Job Title

Lead Design Engineer

Role Summary

Member of the Tensilica team responsible for design and verification of processor core features and related infrastructure. Own verification activities from planning through sign-off and collaborate with designers on micro-architecture and pipeline details.

Experience Level

Senior level. Title indicates a lead role; the posting expects prior design or verification experience.

Responsibilities

The role focuses on verification ownership and delivery for processor core features.

• Own verification of assigned feature(s) from test-plan definition through execution and sign-off.
• Develop SystemVerilog/UVM testbenches and verification infrastructure.
• Apply formal verification methods to support sign-off and quality assurance.
• Develop techniques to verify performance and validate benchmarking results.
• Collaborate with micro-architecture and design teams to understand and validate pipeline and architectural behavior.

Requirements

Core technical requirements and skills; education requirements are listed separately below.

• Strong knowledge of computer architecture, especially processor pipelines and vector processing.
• Familiarity with DSP arithmetic functions.
• Experience with hardware verification concepts: assertions, scoreboards, and coverage-driven verification.
• Proficient in Verilog, SystemVerilog and UVM.
• Understanding and basic proficiency in C or C++.
• Proficiency in a scripting language (Python preferred; Perl acceptable).
• Familiarity with source control systems (Git or Perforce).
• Experience working with remote teams across time zones; strong communication and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with AI techniques applied to design and verification and with performance modeling and benchmarking is preferred.

Education Requirements

Master's degree expected: MSEE or MSCE (MS). The posting also references MS plus approximately 2 years of design or verification work experience.

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.