Physical Design Engineer, Sr. Staff

Job Title

Physical Design Engineer, Sr. Staff

Role Summary

Senior ASIC physical-design engineer responsible for defining, modeling, designing, optimizing, verifying, validating, implementing, and documenting IP blocks and SoC-level designs for high-performance, low-power products.

Works with cross-functional teams (hardware/software architecture, product and program management) to develop implementation strategies that meet system requirements.

Experience Level

Senior-level. Qualcomm prefers candidates with significant ASIC design, verification, or integration experience (typically 6+ years).

Responsibilities

Primary technical duties and collaboration expectations.

• Define and create advanced architectures, circuit specifications, logic designs, and system simulations based on system-level requirements.
• Design, optimize, verify, validate, implement, and document IP (block/SoC) development for high-performance, low-power products.
• Evaluate and optimize flow from high-level design through synthesis, place-and-route, timing and power analysis, and verification.
• Use EDA/implementation flows (e.g., RTL-to-GDS, custom-layout flows) and tools to deliver complex blocks or SoCs.
• Collaborate across software, hardware, and program teams to execute implementation strategies that meet customer and system needs.
• Write and review detailed technical documentation for EDA/IP/ASIC projects.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to other engineers and work independently with minimal supervision.

Requirements

Key must-have skills and relevant experience. Educational degree requirements are listed below in Education Requirements.

• Proven ASIC design, verification, validation, or integration experience with production-quality results.
• Experience with RTL-to-GDS flow, synthesis/place-and-route, timing and power analysis, or equivalent custom circuit design/layout flow.
• Familiarity with EDA and implementation tools; ability to apply toolchains to advanced architecture and design tasks.
• Experience with scripting and programming for automation and design flows.
• Experience with design verification methods.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey complex technical information and influence senior leadership.
• Ability to produce technical specifications and system-level documentation.
• Nice-to-have: prior interaction with senior leadership, hands-on experience with Virtuoso or similar custom-layout tools, architecture/design tool experience.

Education Requirements

Minimum qualifications allow: Bachelor’s degree in Science, Engineering, or related field plus 4+ years of ASIC design/verification/validation/integration experience; OR Master’s degree in Science, Engineering, or related field plus 3+ years; OR PhD in Science, Engineering, or related field plus 2+ years. Preferred: Master’s degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science. Equivalent practical experience accepted per the degree-based alternatives.

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.