Staff Engineer, Physical Design
SiFiveJob Title
Staff Engineer, Physical Design
Role Summary
Lead the physical implementation of high-performance IPs, translating RTL into optimized layouts and driving Power, Performance, Area (PPA) improvements. Work cross-functionally with architecture and RTL teams and provide technical leadership through tape‑to‑tape signoff.
Experience Level
Senior — typically 8+ years of hands-on physical design experience.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include end-to-end implementation, cross-team co-design, and mentoring.
- Lead end-to-end physical design flow: synthesis, floorplanning, placement & routing, and signoff for major subsystems and IP blocks.
- Partner with RTL and architecture teams from early stages to identify and resolve physical bottlenecks (routing congestion, power hotspots, interconnect limits).
- Apply advanced physical-design techniques to meet PPA targets across product classes (low-power edge, automotive reliability, high‑bandwidth fabrics).
- Drive methodology, flows, and automation improvements for implementation and signoff.
- Debug and resolve structural timing violations, routing congestion, and IR drop issues.
- Provide technical mentorship and champion best practices for junior engineers.
Requirements
Core must-have skills and experience.
- 8+ years of hands-on physical design experience with proven tape-outs on advanced process nodes (7nm and below preferred).
- Deep implementation experience in at least one IP domain (CPUs, interconnects/fabrics, cache/memory hierarchies, or accelerators).
- Expert proficiency with industry EDA tools: Synopsys (Fusion Compiler, PrimeTime) and/or Cadence (Innovus, Tempus) for implementation and signoff.
- Strong problem-solving skills for structural timing, congestion, and dynamic IR drop with minimal supervision.
- Proven ability to collaborate across RTL, architecture, and verification teams to co-optimize design tradeoffs.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
About the Company
Company: SiFive
Headquarters: San Mateo, California, United States
SiFive is a pioneering company in the RISC-V ecosystem, focused on transforming the future of computing by delivering high-performance, data-intensive RISC-V solutions. Their compute platforms empower leading technology firms to innovate across various markets, including AI, machine learning, and automotive sectors. SiFive is recognized for its commitment to ongoing innovation and fostering collaboration among talented teams, impacting lives by enabling advanced chip design.
