Senior Physical Design Engineer
QualcommJob Title
Senior Physical Design Engineer
Role Summary
Owner for physical implementation (PNR) of Qualcomm SoCs within the ASICS Engineering team. Deliver floorplanning, placement, CTS, post-route optimization and signoff-ready layouts for advanced process nodes.
Experience Level
Senior - typically requires 3+ years of hardware/PNR experience focused on advanced process nodes and signoff flows.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities involve end-to-end place-and-route implementation and preparing blocks for signoff.
- Lead PNR implementation: floorplanning, placement, CTS, post-route optimization and ECOs.
- Drive signoff readiness: static timing analysis (STA), power analysis, and low-power verification support.
- Analyze and resolve timing, power and integration issues; optimize for performance and power.
- Develop and maintain automation and implementation scripts (Perl/TCL) on Unix/Linux.
- Coordinate with verification, power, and design teams to meet tapeout and quality targets.
- Document implementation decisions and provide handoff materials for signoff teams.
Requirements
Must-have technical skills and experience for this role.
- 3+ years of hardware or related engineering experience, with substantial PNR responsibility.
- Proven experience with PNR flows on advanced nodes (examples: 4nm, 5nm, 7nm, 10nm).
- Hands-on expertise in floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS) and post-route optimization.
- Signoff flow experience (STA and power analysis) and familiarity with functional/low-power verification impacts.
- Proficient with Unix/Linux and scripting (Perl, TCL) for automation and flow integration.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to take full ownership of implementation tasks.
- Nice-to-have: familiarity with signoff domains such as LEC, CLP and PDN design/analysis.
Education Requirements
Minimum qualifications listed by the employer: Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field with 2+ years of ASIC design/verification/integration experience; or a Master's degree in Science, Engineering, or a related field with 1+ year of relevant experience; or a PhD in Science, Engineering, or a related field.
About the Company
Company: Qualcomm
Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.
