Senior Staff Physical Design Engineer

Job Title

Senior Staff Physical Design Engineer

Role Summary

Lead implementation of complex digital blocks through synthesis, floorplanning, timing closure, power integrity, and physical verification for advanced-node ASICs (including 3nm). Work closely with cross-functional teams and EDA partners to deliver tape-out-quality designs and solve novel problems at the intersection of digital ASIC and photonics systems.

Experience Level

Senior-level. Posting requests 12+ years of industry experience as a Physical Design Engineer.

Responsibilities

Execute and own physical design tasks across block and full-chip scope, ensuring manufacturable, high-performance deliverables.

• Implement digital blocks from synthesis through physical verification using industry-standard flows and tools.
• Drive full-chip STA signoff: create/review constraints, debug timing reports, and implement timing ECOs.
• Perform power analysis and optimization while balancing area and performance trade-offs.
• Lead full-chip floorplanning, IO placement, and clock distribution strategy.
• Customize clock implementations for functional and test clocks; manage clock tree distribution.
• Debug and resolve DRC/LVS issues and oversee physical verification closure.
• Implement functional and timing ECOs during integration and tape-out readiness.
• Collaborate with EDA vendors to diagnose and resolve tool issues; automate and customize flows with scripting.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience required to perform this role.

• 12+ years of industry experience as a Physical Design Engineer with completed block or top-level physical design work for large ASICs or mixed-signal chips that have taped out.
• Proven track record of timing closure and LVS/DRC closure on complex designs.
• Proficiency in scripting (TCL and Python or equivalent) to automate and customize flows.
• Experience debugging signoff reports and implementing ECOs under schedule pressure.
• Strong collaboration skills across architecture, RTL, verification, layout, and manufacturing teams.
• Ability to adapt quickly and work effectively in a fast-paced development environment.
• Willingness/ability to comply with U.S. export control laws.
• Must be able to work in a flexible, hybrid workplace model (Boston-based role).

Education Requirements

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering. A Master’s in Electrical or Computer Engineering is preferred (preferred wording appears in the posting).

About the Company

Company: Lightmatter

Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Lightmatter develops photonic AI data-center infrastructure and optical chips for extreme-scale AI and HPC. The company invented the Passage 3D‑stacked photonics engine to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency interconnects across large-scale processors and raised $400M in Series D financing at a reported $4.4B valuation.