Staff / Senior Staff Design Verification Engineer

Job Title

Staff / Senior Staff Design Verification Engineer

Role Summary

Work on integrated digital, analog, and photonic verification for an AI datacenter photonics company. Collaborate with digital designers, analog/photonics engineers, and architecture to define verification flows, create test plans, and drive DV signoff for block and full-chip tapeouts.

The role emphasizes UVM-based testbenches, emulation, mixed-signal verification, and performance verification across pre- and post-silicon stages.

Experience Level

Senior level. The posting expects 8+ years of design verification and SystemVerilog experience; multiple levels may be considered based on experience and interview performance.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include working across digital, analog, and photonic domains to ensure functional and performance goals are met.

• Define and improve DV methodologies for integrated digital/analog/photonics designs, with emphasis on emulation-enabled verification.
• Create and execute test plans to validate functionality and performance for block and full-chip tapeouts.
• Collaborate with architects, DV, digital, and analog/photonics designers to specify validation flows and requirements.
• Develop reusable, scalable UVM testbench components, models, checkers, and testcases.
• Achieve coverage and complete DV signoff requirements, leveraging mixed-signal simulation and emulation to raise coverage metrics.
• Integrate analog IP from vendors and internal teams; build verification environments for simulation and emulation.
• Work with analog engineers to develop behavioral/AMS models and with digital teams to integrate models into higher levels.

Requirements

Must-have skills and technologies for successful candidates; preferred items listed separately.

• Must-have: Minimum 8 years of design verification experience with SystemVerilog.
• Must-have: Expert with UVM and experience developing reusable testbench components.
• Must-have: Familiarity with industry simulators (Xcelium, ModelSim, Questa, VCS) and emulation platforms.
• Must-have: Experience with mixed-signal verification and integrating analog models into digital flows.
• Must-have: Proficiency in Python (2+ years) for verification infrastructure and test automation.
• Must-have: Strong problem-solving skills and experience collaborating across architecture, design, and verification teams.
• Nice-to-have: Post-silicon validation and debug experience.
• Nice-to-have: AMS verification experience and Real Number Modeling (RNM) familiarity.
• Nice-to-have: Experience developing verification flows that include emulation and performance modeling/verification.
• Ability to comply with applicable U.S. export control laws.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience. A Master's degree or higher is listed as preferred (or equivalent experience). The posting allows equivalent practical experience in lieu of a formal degree.

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.