Principal Engineer – Physical Design

Job Title

Principal Engineer – Physical Design

Role Summary

Lead full-chip physical implementation (netlist-to-GDSII) work for complex hierarchical, low-power, multi-mode, multi-corner mixed-signal designs. Join Microchip's CAD Physical Design team and collaborate with global design, verification, and tool teams to deliver placement, routing, timing closure, and sign-off-quality results.

Experience Level

Senior; requires 10+ years of relevant physical design experience.

Responsibilities

Deliver and lead end-to-end physical implementation and sign-off activities across full-chip designs. Typical responsibilities include:

• Lead full-chip APR/physical implementation efforts for hierarchical, mixed-signal designs.
• Develop and execute floorplanning and placement optimization strategies.
• Implement and tune clock tree synthesis (CTS) and timing closure flows.
• Manage detailed routing, crosstalk avoidance, and congestion resolution.
• Drive physical verification, parasitic extraction, and power integrity sign-off.
• Integrate low-power methodologies (UPF) across the physical implementation flow.
• Automate tasks and enhance flows using scripting and tool customization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and mentor junior engineers.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience (concise):

• Extensive hands-on experience across physical design flows: floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, and physical verification.
• Advanced knowledge of place-and-route methodologies and VLSI timing closure techniques.
• Experience with sign-off tools for Static Timing Analysis, Formal Equivalence, Parasitic Extraction, Power Integrity, and physical verification.
• Proven recent experience leading full-chip physical design activities.
• Daily use of ICC/ICC2 or Innovus is preferred.
• Experience with 40 nm or 28 nm technologies required; 16 nm or smaller preferred.
• Proficiency in Tcl and Perl scripting for flow automation.
• Strong written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and debugging skills; ability to collaborate across geographically distributed teams.
• Travel: approximately 0%–25%.

Nice-to-have:

• Prior experience on low-power multi-mode, multi-corner sign-off flows.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering (as stated in the posting).

About the Company

Company: Microchip

Headquarters: Chandler, Arizona, USA

Microchip is a leading semiconductor company focused on developing innovative solutions to enhance the human experience. With a commitment to empowering innovation, Microchip prioritizes the value of its employees by fostering a culture that supports their growth and contributions.