Sr Principal Application Engineer

Job Title

Sr Principal Application Engineer

Role Summary

Senior customer-facing engineering role focused on backend digital IC implementation and signoff (RTL-to-GDSII). The role leads technical strategies, supports flagship tape-outs, and collaborates with R&D to improve tools and flows.

Experience Level

Senior — requires 12+ years of industry experience.

Responsibilities

Deliver technical leadership and hands-on implementation support for digital SoC designs and signoff:

• Work directly with customers on backend digital design implementation and signoff (synthesis, place & route, timing and power closure, RTL-to-GDSII).
• Lead technical campaigns and strategy for RTL-to-GDSII implementation.
• Drive improvements in Power, Performance, and Area (PPA).
• Deliver technical presentations and lead customer and internal technical discussions.
• Collaborate with R&D to enhance tools and methodologies to meet customer requirements.
• Support execution of critical customer tape-outs and assist with design closure (timing, DRC/LVS, EMIR).
• Customize and extend flows using Tcl, Perl, Python, or other scripting to automate and improve results.

Requirements

Key technical and professional requirements (must-have items first):

• Experience: 12+ years in digital IC implementation and backend EDA flows.
• Technical skills: Strong knowledge of digital design fundamentals and static timing analysis; hands-on experience with synthesis, place-and-route, IR drop, timing and power closure, and RTL-to-GDSII flows.
• Scripting: Proficient in Perl, Tcl, and Python for automation and flow development.
• Design expertise: Floorplanning and power planning for low-power SoC designs; advanced clock tree techniques (clock mesh, H-tree, SoC distribution).
• Process nodes: Experience with advanced nodes (sub-5nm) preferred.
• Tools: Hands-on experience with Cadence tools (Genus, Innovus, Conformal, Tempus, Modus, Voltus) is highly desired.
• Professional: Strong customer-facing communication, problem-solving skills, and ability to collaborate with R&D to debug and optimize design flows.

Education Requirements

MS degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field is specified in the posting (Master's degree required). The posting pairs the MS requirement with 12+ years of industry experience.

About the Company

Company: Cadence Design Systems

Headquarters: San Jose, California, USA

Cadence Design Systems is a global electronic design automation company that provides software, hardware, and intellectual property for designing advanced semiconductor chips. With over 25 years in the industry, Cadence is known for its innovative technology solutions and has been recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. The company is dedicated to solving complex technical challenges in order to enable customers to create revolutionary products and experiences.