Physical Design Engineer

Arago Inc.; Paris; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Relocation bonus

Healthcare

Pension contributions

Professional development

25 days PTO

Transport subsidy

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Arago in France seeks a Digital Backend Design Engineer to implement digital designs from RTL to GDSII, using Cadence Innovus and Genus to meet timing, power and area targets.

You will collaborate with RTL, DFT and packaging teams to achieve optimal performance and meet tapeout deadlines in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or related field.
• 4+ years experience in digital IC backend implementation.
• Proficiency with backend EDA tools Cadence Innovus and Genus.
• Strong understanding of P&R, STA, DRC/LVS, IR drop and EM analysis.
• Experience with nodes 22nm or below preferred.
• Scripting in Tcl for backend automation.
• Experience in hierarchical or full-chip implementation preferred.
• English proficiency; French a plus.

Responsibilities

• Execute full-chip and block-level physical design tasks including floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis, routing, and physical verification.
• Develop and optimize the digital backend flow.
• Drive timing closure, power optimization, and physical verification (LVS/DRC/ERC).
• Collaborate with front-end designers to address timing and interface issues.
• Support tapeout preparation and final signoff processes.

Skills

Digital backend design

RTL to GDSII understanding

Tcl scripting

Timing optimization

Collaboration with frontend teams

Education

Master’s or PhD in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or related field

Tools

Cadence Innovus

Cadence Genus

Place & Route (P&R)

Static timing analysis (STA)

DRC/LVS verification

IR drop analysis

Electromigration (EM) analysis

Job description

Meet Arago and the Aragonians

Arago is an AI and computer hardware company whose mission is to drive the course of history forward. We do so by accelerating breakthroughs at the intersection of AI and semiconductors.

Founded in 2024 by AI researchers and physicists with deep expertise in photonics, electronics, software, mathematics, and machine learning, Arago brings together a lean team of engineers and scientists from the world’s top companies and research labs.

Composed of nine nationalities and operating from hubs in France, North America, and Israel, we believe in great science and fast achievements. Our work is guided by these core principles:

1. Do great things: we deliver work we’re proud to sign our name to.

2. High velocity: speed matters. We move quickly, one step at a time.

3. One unit: we’re all in this together, with relationships grounded in trust, respect, and camaraderie.

Arago is backed by executives from Apple, Arm, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Hugging Face, as well as prominent US and European deeptech venture firms and exited founders.

What you’ll do

As a Digital Backend Design Engineer, you will be responsible for the physical implementation of digital designs from RTL to GDSII, leveraging cutting-edge EDA tools and methodologies. You will collaborate closely with RTL design, DFT, and packaging teams to achieve optimal performance, power, and area (PPA), while meeting stringent timing and yield targets.

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s or PhD degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or a related field.

• 4+ years experience in digital IC backend implementation.

• Proficiency with backend EDA tools, particularly Cadence Innovus and Genus.

• Strong understanding of place & route (P&R), static timing analysis (STA), DRC/LVS verification, IR drop, and electromigration (EM) analysis.

• Experience with advanced technology nodes (22nm or below preferred).

• Skilled in Tcl scripting for automation of backend flows.

• Experience in hierarchical or full-chip implementation is preferred.

• Language: English at a proficient level. French is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Execute full-chip and block-level physical design tasks including floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis, routing, and physical verification.

• Develop and optimize the digital backend flow.

• Drive timing closure, power optimization, and physical verification (LVS/DRC/ERC).

• Collaborate with front-end designers to address timing and logical/physical interface issues.

• Support tapeout preparation and final signoff processes.

Pay and benefits

• Competitive cash compensation, with final package based on location, experience, and the pay of team members in similar positions.

• Meaningful stock option plan offered at the earliest stage of the company (included in the majority of full time offers).

• Relocation bonus and coverage of moving expenses for relocation within 20 minutes of the company’s location.

• Healthcare coverage (including family-friendly options), pension contributions, professional development support, and 25 days of PTO, in addition to public holidays.

• Ownership of a key technical domain, with significant vertical and/or horizontal growth opportunities, based on performance and individual drive.

• Reimbursement of 50% of the public transport subscription fee.

• A high-paced, multicultural (with 9 nationalities), and engineering-led environment.