Principal Applications Engineer, Transistor-Level Signoff

Job Title

Principal Applications Engineer, Transistor-Level Signoff

Role Summary

Lead customer-facing transistor-level power-integrity and EM/IR signoff engagements, develop and validate signoff methodologies, and drive issue resolution across advanced-node and multi-die designs. Work closely with customers, applications teams, and R&D to enable successful tapeouts and improve product capabilities.

Experience Level

Senior - typically 10+ years in semiconductor EDA, IC design, or applications engineering with substantial customer-facing technical experience.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include customer technical leadership, methodology development, and cross-team coordination to resolve signoff issues.

• Own technical relationships for assigned customer accounts and serve as primary technical contact for Totem/Totem-SC engagements.
• Lead transistor-level power-integrity and EM/IR signoff work across analog, RF, ESD, embedded memory, and high-speed interface designs.
• Develop, validate, and optimize signoff flows for advanced nodes and 3DIC designs; automate workflows with scripting (Python, Tcl, Perl, Shell).
• Drive complex investigations from initial report through root-cause analysis and resolution, coordinating with R&D and internal teams.
• Run technical evaluations, benchmarks, workshops, and training; partner with Sales to expand product adoption.
• Mentor applications engineers and establish reusable best practices and technical standards.
• Collaborate with Product Management and R&D to influence product roadmap based on real customer use cases and technical gaps.
• Travel domestically or internationally occasionally for critical customer engagements as required.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and customer-facing experience; nice-to-have items listed separately.

• Substantial hands-on experience with transistor-level EM/IR, power-integrity, power-grid extraction, or related signoff solutions.
• Proven ability to independently manage technical engagements, customer expectations, and escalations from first contact through resolution.
• Solid understanding of analog and custom IC design, circuit analysis, physical layout, and signoff methodology.
• Familiarity with semiconductor design data and EDA flows, including SPICE netlists, SPEF, DSPF, and layout databases.
• Proficiency in UNIX/Linux environments and scripting (Python, Tcl, Perl, Shell) for automation and workflow scaling.
• Strong communication and mentoring skills for guiding customers and junior engineers through complex analyses.
• Nice-to-have: direct Totem or Totem-SC experience; analog/RF, ESD, embedded memory/IP, or high-speed interface experience; 3DIC/multi-die signoff experience; familiarity with FinFET/GAA technologies; experience applying AI/ML/LLMs to EDA workflows.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or equivalent practical experience (the posting explicitly accepts equivalent practical experience).

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.