Senior Physical Design Engineer
Intel CorporationJob Title
Senior Physical Design Engineer
Role Summary
As a Physical Design Engineer on Intel's design engineering team, you will implement custom IP and SoC designs across the RTL-to-GDS physical design flow. The role focuses on optimizing designs for manufacturability, performance, power, and area, and improving physical design methodologies and automation.
Experience Level
Senior level. Typical experience guidance from the posting: Bachelor's +8 years, Master's +6 years, or PhD +4 years in physical design or related roles.
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include:
- Execute full RTL-to-GDS physical implementation: synthesis, floorplanning, placement, routing, CTS, and signoff.
- Perform static timing analysis, signal/noise integrity analysis, and power distribution optimization.
- Analyze verification and equivalence results; diagnose and resolve timing, power, and reliability violations.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize power, area, and frequency trade-offs.
- Develop and enhance physical design methodologies, flows, and automation to improve efficiency and scalability.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and experience:
- Hands-on experience with physical design tools and flows: synthesis; place-and-route tools (e.g., Innovus/FC); static timing analysis; verification and signoff flows.
- Expertise in power planning, clock tree synthesis, low-power design techniques, and design optimization.
- Proficiency in scripting for flow automation (Python, Perl, TCL) and familiarity with EDA tool automation.
- Practical experience using EDA tools that incorporate AI/ML capabilities.
- Experience with timing closure, noise/glitch analysis, and power integrity verification.
Nice-to-have:
- Experience with DFT physical design implementation and formal verification flows.
- Advanced floorplanning and macro placement experience.
- Exposure to agentic AI/ML tools applied to design automation.
- Strong problem-solving skills and collaborative mindset.
Education Requirements
Posting specifies degree-based paths: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field with 8+ years' experience; Master's degree with 6+ years; or PhD with 4+ years. The posting did not explicitly state an "or equivalent experience" clause.
About the Company
Company: Intel Corporation
Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA
Intel Corporation is a leading multinational technology company known for its innovative semiconductor solutions, including microprocessors, artificial intelligence accelerators, and memory products. Headquartered in the United States, Intel focuses on cutting-edge technology and a collaborative working environment, driving advancements in semiconductor manufacturing to meet global demands. The company emphasizes professional development and aims to shape the future of technology through groundbreaking designs.
