Physical Design Engineer — Senior level

Job Title

Physical Design Engineer — Senior level

Role Summary

Join Qualcomm's SoC and ASIC Design organization to implement complex digital designs and drive the physical implementation flow from synthesized netlist to tape-out. Work on high-performance, power-efficient ASICs and SoCs and collaborate with architecture, RTL, verification, DFT, and methodology teams.

Experience Level

Senior — posting specifies 2+ years of industry or relevant experience.

Responsibilities

Deliver end-to-end physical design and support design convergence through sign-off.

• Execute the full physical design flow: floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, timing optimization, and sign-off.
• Perform power planning, IR-drop analysis, and multi-mode multi-corner (MMMC) timing closure.
• Analyze and resolve timing violations, signal integrity/crosstalk issues, and physical DRC/LVS violations.
• Run RC extraction, physical verification, and formal verification activities as needed.
• Implement engineering change orders (ECOs) and support design convergence through tape-out.
• Collaborate across architecture, RTL, DFT, verification, and methodology teams to meet project goals.
• Contribute to low-power implementation methodologies and optimized place-and-route solutions.
• Develop automation and productivity tools using scripting and software development techniques.

Requirements

Core technical skills and hands-on experience required for the role.

• Minimum 2+ years of hands-on physical design experience (industry or equivalent project experience).
• Proven experience across placement, clock tree synthesis, routing, timing optimization, and timing closure in MMMC scenarios.
• Experience with power planning, IR-drop analysis, and addressing signal integrity/crosstalk issues.
• Experience performing RC extraction, physical verification, and activities that lead to sign-off.
• Experience implementing ECOs and driving designs to tape-out.
• Scripting and automation skills for productivity (scripting languages and software development techniques).
• Strong collaboration skills to work with architecture, RTL, verification, DFT, and methodology teams.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience; posting indicates an undergraduate degree plus 2+ years of experience is typical.

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.