Senior Physical Design Engineer - UK Reading - Cisco Silicon One

Cisco Systems; Reading; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in technology is seeking a VLSI Design Engineer to join their Physical Design team. This role involves backend design tasks, contributing to innovative chip development for next-generation network devices. The ideal candidate will have a strong educational background in Electrical Engineering and extensive experience in backend design, with a focus on optimizing design flows and ensuring high-quality VLSI designs.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in backend design required.
• Strong understanding of Place & Route flow essential.
• Knowledge of Physical Design Verification methodologies preferred.

Responsibilities

• Handle all aspects of chip design including Definition, Physical Synthesis, Place and Route.
• Contribute to developing next-generation network devices.
• Optimize design flow and ensure timing closure.

Skills

Backend Design

Place & Route flow

Self-learning skills

Teamwork

Education

B.Sc./M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Physical Design EDA tools

Job description

What You'll Do

Join our Physical Design team within Cisco Silicon One, responsible for backend methodology and flow development from RTL to GDS. This is a key part of developing high-quality VLSI designs.

Our Backend Engineers handle all aspects of chip design, including Definition, Physical Synthesis, Place and Route, Optimization, Timing Closure, and Design Floor Planning.

We showcase the latest silicon technologies and processes to build large-scale, complex devices, pushing the boundaries of feasibility.

Who You'll Work With

Be part of the Cisco Silicon One team, central to Cisco’s software and ASIC design efforts.

Contribute to developing next-generation network devices—Cisco Silicon One—in a startup-like environment within a stable, leading company.

Our design center hosts all silicon hardware and software development fields under one roof.

We are revolutionizing the industry by building a new internet for the 5G era, providing a unified, programmable silicon architecture that underpins Cisco's future routing products. Our devices are adaptable across service providers and web-scale markets, delivering high speed, programmability, buffering, power efficiency, scale, and feature flexibility.

Cisco Silicon One is a groundbreaking technology designed to serve our customers and end users for decades. It’s a faster, better, and safer engine for the Internet!

Minimum Requirements

• A VLSI Design Engineer with extensive experience in backend design.
• B.Sc./M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering.
• Strong understanding of Place & Route flow.

Preferred/Advantageous Qualifications

• Deep understanding of all aspects of Physical construction and Integration.
• Knowledge of Physical Design Verification methodologies (LVS/DRC).
• Familiarity with physical design EDA tools (such as Synopsys, Cadence, etc.).
• Great teammate, self-learning skills, and ability to work autonomously.

Learn More About Us Here:

• Cisco Silicon One Overview
• Fortune Article on Cisco Silicon One
• Calcalist Article
• Cisco Silicon One on YouTube
• Cisco Silicon One Blog

Why Cisco

#WeAreCisco, where each person is unique, but together we bring our talents to work as a team and make a difference, powering an inclusive future for all.

We embrace digital transformation and help our customers implement change in their digital businesses. While some see us as a “hardware company,” we are also a software, security, and innovation leader—having invented an intuitive, adaptive, and protective network. We do what others cannot.

“Digital Transformation” is a culture of innovation, creativity, and learning from failure.

We value giving, accountability, boldness, and diversity of thought. We believe diversity and equality are essential for progress.

We welcome individuality—whether you have colorful hair, tattoos, or a passion for technology. Be yourself, and join us in shaping the future!