Senior Physical Design Engineer
QualcommJob Title
Senior Physical Design Engineer
Role Summary
Deliver placement and routing (PNR) implementation for Qualcomm SoCs with end-to-end ownership of floorplanning, placement, CTS, post-route optimization and signoff preparation.
Work within a hardware engineering team, collaborate with STA/power/verification teams, and drive implementation to meet performance, power and timing targets on advanced process nodes.
Experience Level
Senior-level. See Education Requirements for degree-linked experience bands; role expects multiple years of PNR/physical-design experience on advanced nodes.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include ownership of PNR implementation and collaboration for signoff.
- Own PNR implementation: floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing and post-route optimization.
- Prepare and support signoff flows: STA, power analysis, functional verification for low-power modes, physical verification.
- Optimize placement and clock tree synthesis for timing, power and area targets.
- Analyze and debug timing, power, and physical issues; propose corrective actions.
- Write and maintain scripts/tools using Unix/Linux environments (Perl, TCL) to automate flows.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (timing, power, synthesis, verification) to meet tapeout schedules.
Requirements
Must-have skills and domain experience for successful performance in the role.
- Hands-on PNR experience on advanced nodes (examples in posting: 4nm/5nm/7nm/10nm).
- Strong knowledge of placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS) and optimization techniques.
- Signoff-domain familiarity: STA, power analysis, low-power verification, physical verification (LEC/CLP/PDN concepts).
- Proficiency with Unix/Linux and scripting (Perl, TCL) to automate flows and debug issues.
- Analytical problem-solving skills and ability to learn quickly in fast-paced project environments.
- Typically multiple years of hands-on hardware/PNR engineering experience (posting references 3+ years PNR experience in places).
Education Requirements
Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Engineering or a related field. Experience bands in the posting: PhD +6 years, Master’s +7 years, Bachelor’s +8 years. The posting allows related-field degrees; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
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.
