Senior Design Engineer

Job Title

Senior Design Engineer

Role Summary

Join Arm's Solutions Engineering Physical IP team on the Custom Standard Cell Design Engineering team to develop custom standard cells for advanced sub-3nm process technologies. Work with circuit, physical and mask design engineers to co-optimize cell architectures and implementations to improve power, performance and area (PPA) for Arm cores in SoCs across multiple markets.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 3+ years (MSEE) or 4+ years (BSEE) of relevant circuit design or standard cell characterization experience, per role posting.

Responsibilities

Deliver production-quality standard cell libraries and associated models, views and validation flows for advanced process nodes.

• Develop and optimize custom standard cells targeting sub-3nm process technologies.
• Perform standard cell characterization, modeling, and EDA view generation for library views.
• Design, analyze, and verify transistor-level circuits (including latches and flip-flops) to meet PPA and reliability targets.
• Co-optimize circuit designs with physical design and mask teams to improve core- and SoC-level PPA and manufacturability.
• Develop and execute QA and validation methodologies across library views using industry-standard EDA tools.
• Drive improvements in characterization methodologies, automation, tools, and development processes.
• Analyze complex technical issues and communicate practical solutions and recommendations to stakeholders.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, tools, and behaviors for this role.

• Experience identifying, designing, optimizing, and verifying standard cells to improve core- and SoC-level PPA.
• Strong understanding of MOSFET electrical characteristics, device physics, layout effects, variability, and PPA trade-offs for advanced nodes.
• Expertise in transistor-level design and analysis of static CMOS circuits, including state-retaining elements.
• Extensive hands-on experience with standard cell characterization, EDA view generation, modeling, and QA/validation.
• Proficiency with SPICE-level circuit simulators and industry-standard characterization tools.
• Proficiency in scripting and automation using Python and/or Perl.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to investigate complex circuit and characterization issues.
• Effective technical communication and demonstrated cross-discipline collaboration skills.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with physical design implementation flows (place-and-route, signoff methodologies).
• Familiarity with advanced-node design considerations affecting cell architecture and characterization.
• Experience developing automation or methodology improvements for cell design, characterization, or validation flows.

Education Requirements

BSEE with 4+ years of relevant circuit design and/or standard cell characterization experience, or MSEE with 3+ years of relevant experience (Electrical/Electronics engineering degrees implied by BSEE/MSEE language). No other academic credentials or equivalents specified in the posting.

About the Company

Company: Arm

Headquarters: Cambridge, United Kingdom

ARM is a global leader in semiconductor and software design, driving innovation in computing technology. The company specializes in designing processors and systems that provide the essential building blocks for electronic devices. ARM's architecture is widely used in smartphones, servers, and IoT devices, and its collaborative culture fosters bold thinking, diversity, and high-impact benefits for its talented workforce.