ASIC Digital Physical Design Engineer

Nordic Semi; West of England; Presencial; GBP 70.000 - 110.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Competitive salary with incentives

Flexible working hours

Medical insurance

Family-friendly policies

Descripción de la vacante

Nordic Physical Design Engineer role focuses on transforming advanced semiconductor designs into high-performance silicon. You will drive floorplanning, power delivery, place-and-route, CTS, timing closure, and tape-out while collaborating with design, verification and silicon teams.

You should have a BSc/MSc in Electronics Engineering and several years of chip implementation experience, plus Synopsys/Cadence tool proficiency, scripting in TCL/Python, and exposure to AI-assisted design tools.

Formación

• BSc/MSc in Electronics Engineering or similar.
• Several years of experience in chip implementation.
• Experience with Synopsys and Cadence IC tools for implementation and sign-off.
• Contributed to flow development and setup.
• Proficient in scripting languages such as TCL, Python or similar.
• Experience using AI-assisted tools to improve design productivity.

Responsabilidades

• Floorplanning activities, macro placement and voltage area definition.
• Develop and implement robust power distribution networks.
• Execute Place & Route including CTS, congestion and timing closure.
• Perform physical verification and signoff ensuring foundry requirements are met.
• Analyze IR-drop, electromigration and reliability for power integrity.
• Drive ECOs and late-stage design optimizations for timing closure.
• Support silicon bring-up and tape-out with physical design input.
• Contribute to development of PD flows and automation scripts.

Conocimientos

Chip implementation

Scripting TCL/Python

AI-assisted design

English communication

Flow development

Problem solving

Educación

BSc/MSc Electronics Engineering

Herramientas

Synopsys IC tools

Cadence IC tools

Flow automation scripts

Descripción del empleo

About the job

As a Physical Design Engineer, you will play a key role in transforming advanced semiconductor designs into high-performance, manufacturable silicon products. Working at the heart of the chip implementation flow, you will drive critical physical design activities from floorplanning and power implementation through place-and-route, timing closure, physical verification, and final tape-out. This is a unique opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology, solve complex engineering challenges, and influence the development of next-generation low-power semiconductor solutions.

You will collaborate closely with talented design, architecture, verification, and silicon teams while helping shape future methodologies, automation flows, and AI-assisted design practices. If you are passionate about delivering high-quality silicon, enjoy tackling difficult technical problems, and want to see your work make its way into real-world products, this is the role for you!

Key responsibilities

• Floorplanning activities, including macro placement, partitioning, and voltage area definition

• Develop and implement robust power distribution networks

• Execute Place & Route activities, including clock tree synthesis (CTS), congestion optimization, signal integrity improvements, and timing closure

• Perform comprehensive physical verification and signoff activities, ensuring designs meet foundry requirements and are ready for successful tape-out

• Analyze and optimize power integrity through IR-drop, electromigration, and reliability assessments, identifying and resolving issues that could impact silicon performance or long-term product reliability

• Drive ECOs and late-stage design optimizations, implementing efficient fixes while maintaining schedule commitments and achieving timing closure across all operating modes and corners.

• Support silicon bring-up and tape-out activities by providing physical design expertise, debugging implementation issues

• Contribute to the development and enhancement of physical design flows, automation scripts, and implementation methodologies to improve productivity, quality, and design scalability across future projects

Key Qualifications

• BSc/MSc in Electronics Engineering or similar

• Several years of experience in chip implementation

• Experience of relevant Synopsys and Cadence IC implementation and signoff tools

• Contribution to flow development and setup

• Knowledge of scripting languages like TCL, Perl, Python or similar

• Experience using AI-assisted tools to improve design productivity (e.g. AI-driven EDA flows, code/script generation, debug assistance)

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Personal Skills

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented engineer who thrives on solving complex technical challenges and takes pride in delivering high-quality silicon. With a structured and analytical mindset, you can navigate intricate physical design issues, balance competing priorities, and maintain focus on achieving demanding performance, power, area, and schedule targets. You enjoy digging into root causes, finding efficient solutions, and continuously improving design methodologies, flows, and tools.

You combine independent ownership with a collaborative mindset, enabling you to drive tasks forward while contributing to a highly skilled and supportive team environment. Curious by nature, you embrace new technologies, including AI-assisted engineering tools, and are motivated by the opportunity to learn, innovate, and help shape the next generation of cutting-edge semiconductor products.

Working for Nordic

Working at Nordic, you will be inspired and supported to develop yourself. Our teams enjoy a professional and informal working environment. We value and encourage the continuous development of skills and expertise to the highest levels. We are proud of our Norwegian heritage, our highly skilled international workforce, and our world-leading innovation.

We offer a variety of tasks and projects, and the possibility to work alongside some of the world’s most renowned experts within their field. We encourage our employees to question the established and innovate while expecting professionalism, commitment, and the will to learn.

Benefits

• Competitive salary with short- and long-term incentive plan

• Flexible working hours

• Medical insurance

• Family-friendly policies, insurances, and benefits

Practical details

• Location: Bristol, UK | Stockholm, Sweden | Tampere, Finland
  

Please note that this position might be subject to a background check.