Senior VLSI Physical Design R&D Engineer (C++ / Optimization)

Job Title

Senior VLSI Physical Design R&D Engineer (C++ / Optimization)

Role Summary

NVIDIA in Austin, TX is hiring a Senior R&D Software Engineer to design and implement VLSI physical-design optimization algorithms. The role focuses on inventing new optimization engines and improving existing timing and placement/timing-related algorithms implemented in C/C++.

Work directly with physical-design and EDA teams to improve silicon timing, performance, and turnaround through algorithmic innovation and robust software implementation.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires more than 6 years of relevant experience in VLSI physical design algorithm development or EDA software engineering.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Design and implement timing and physical-design optimization algorithms in C/C++.
• Develop new optimization engines for placement, timing closure, and timing-driven optimization.
• Profile, test, and tune algorithms for runtime, memory use, and solution quality on large designs.
• Integrate algorithms into physical-design flows and collaborate with layout, synthesis, and verification teams.
• Lead experiments, prototype solutions, and document technical results and trade-offs.
• Mentor junior engineers and help define technical direction for the team.

Requirements

Must-have:

• 6+ years of experience in VLSI physical-design algorithms, timing optimization, or related EDA development.
• Strong understanding of static timing analysis, timing optimization, placement, and routing concepts.
• Proficient in C/C++ with solid skills in algorithm implementation, data structures, and numerical methods.
• Experience with optimization techniques (heuristics, LP/ILP, gradient-based methods) and performance tuning.
• Experience working with large-scale codebases, profiling, and debugging performance issues.
• Effective problem-solving and collaboration skills in cross-functional teams.

Nice-to-have:

• Prior experience on place-and-route engines or timing-closure tools.
• Familiarity with scripting (Python) and benchmarking/CI infrastructure.
• Publications or patents in EDA algorithms or related areas.

Education Requirements

Not specified.

About the Company

Company: NVIDIA

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA

NVIDIA is a global leader in accelerated computing, renowned for its innovative solutions in AI and digital twins that transform diverse industries. The company specializes in networking technologies, providing end-to-end InfiniBand and Ethernet solutions for servers and storage that optimize performance and scalability. NVIDIA serves sectors such as high-performance computing, enterprise data centers, and cloud computing, constantly reinventing its products and services to stay ahead in the market.