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Principal Application Engineer - Emulation

Synopsys
September 19, 2026
Full-time
On-site
Austin, Texas, United States
$160,000 - $240,000 USD yearly
EDA Jobs, Level - Senior

Job Title

Principal Application Engineer - Emulation

Role Summary

Lead technical customer engagements to deploy and optimize hardware emulation platforms for complex SoC and ASIC verification. Design partitioning, testbench integration, and bring-up strategies; collaborate with R&D and mentor application engineers to ensure projects meet tapeout and schedule constraints.

Experience Level

Senior-level. Typical candidate has 10+ years of hands-on experience with hardware emulation and customer-facing technical roles.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include on-site problem solving, strategy design, and cross-team collaboration.

  • Lead customer deployments of emulation platforms; diagnose performance bottlenecks, debug issues, and resolve workflow inefficiencies.
  • Design emulation strategies for complex SoC/ASIC projects, including partitioning, testbench integration, and bring-up sequences that work under real project constraints.
  • Collaborate with R&D to escalate product gaps, influence roadmap priorities, and validate new features against customer use cases.
  • Develop and deliver technical training, workshops, and best-practice guides for customers and internal teams.
  • Troubleshoot critical emulation failures across hardware, RTL, testbench, and embedded software layers to isolate root causes and restore productivity.
  • Mentor junior application engineers on emulation methodologies, debugging techniques, and customer engagement strategies.

Requirements

Key qualifications and skills required for success in this role.

  • 10+ years hands-on experience with hardware emulation platforms (e.g., Synopsys ZeBu, Mentor Veloce, Cadence Palladium) including deployment, debug, and performance optimization.
  • Proficiency in Verilog, SystemVerilog, and VHDL; ability to read, debug, and optimize RTL for emulation.
  • Strong understanding of verification methodologies (UVM, constrained-random testing, coverage-driven verification) in emulation environments.
  • Solid knowledge of SoC and ASIC architecture, including subsystem integration, interconnect protocols, and memory hierarchies; experience with software/hardware co-verification flows.
  • Scripting experience (Python, Perl, or TCL) for automation, flow development, and analysis.
  • Proven track record in customer-facing technical roles (field applications, support, or consulting) and debugging complex multi-domain issues under pressure.

Education Requirements

Not specified.


About the Company

Company: Synopsys

Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA

Synopsys is a leading company in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP solutions. It provides tools and services for designing and verifying complex semiconductor devices and systems. The company plays a pivotal role in the semiconductor industry, helping engineers innovate and deliver higher-quality products faster. Synopsys is committed to advancing technology standards and offers a range of software and hardware solutions to its clients globally.

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Date Posted: 2026-09-16