Principal Engineer – Physical Design
MicrochipJob Title
Principal Engineer – Physical Design
Role Summary
Lead full-chip physical implementation (netlist-to-GDSII) and delivery for complex hierarchical, low-power, multi-mode, multi-corner mixed-signal designs. You will be a senior member of Microchip's CAD Physical Design team and work with global design, verification, and DFT teams to achieve timing closure and sign-off.
Experience Level
Senior — 10+ years of relevant physical design experience.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include ownership of APR/physical implementation activities and cross-team coordination to deliver production-quality layouts.
- Lead and execute full-chip APR: floorplanning, placement optimization, clock tree synthesis, routing, and timing closure.
- Drive physical verification and sign-off flows (STA, extraction, LVS/DRC, formal equivalence, power integrity).
- Implement low-power design techniques and UPF-aware flows across physical implementation.
- Collaborate with RTL, timing, verification, and manufacturing teams to resolve design issues and meet schedules.
- Mentor engineers, define best practices, and contribute to automation and toolflow improvements.
Requirements
Key skills and experience required. Education details are listed separately under Education Requirements.
- 10+ years of hands-on physical design experience, including full-chip APR or leading full-chip physical design activities.
- Advanced knowledge of place-and-route methodologies, VLSI logic principles, clock structures, and techniques for timing closure.
- Proven experience with sign-off tool flows: Static Timing Analysis, Formal Equivalence, Parasitic Extraction, Power Integrity, and Physical Verification.
- Practical knowledge of UPF and low-power design practices integrated into the physical flow.
- Experience with 40nm or 28nm technologies (required); 16nm or smaller preferred.
- Proficiency in Tcl and Perl scripting for automation and flow development.
- Strong written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and cross-team collaboration skills.
- Travel: up to 25% as needed.
Nice-to-have:
- Daily use of ICC/ICC2 or Innovus.
- Prior experience leading geographically distributed physical implementation teams.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical or Electronics Engineering.
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.
