Software Engineer II: Clock Tree Synthesis & AI-Driven EDA

Cadence; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days holiday per year

Private Medical and Dental plans

Income Protection

Life Insurance

Group Personal Pension Plan

Cycle to work scheme

Gym subsidy

Volunteer time off

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Great Place to Work© & Fortune 100

Job summary

Cadence in Cambridge, UK is seeking an early-career Software Engineer for Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS) within the Innovus R&D team. You will contribute to high-performance EDA algorithms and explore AI-driven design automation approaches, collaborating with a global team to advance chip design tools.

You will grow technically through mentorship while delivering reliable CTS capabilities in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, improving chip performance and power efficiency across diverse

Qualifications

• MSc in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related numerate discipline.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++, developed and applied in a Linux or Unix-like environment.
• Solid understanding of core data structures and algorithms, with the ability to analyse and reason about algorithmic complexity.
• Effective problem-solving approach, with the ability to break down complex technical challenges and communicate findings clearly to colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement CTS algorithms in C/C++, with a focus on performance, quality of results (QoR), scalability, and correctness across diverse chip design scenarios.
• Debug, optimise, and enhance CTS capabilities: Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks and robustness issues within the Innovus platform, improving reliability and runtime efficiency.
• Develop AI-driven and automated workflows: Apply emerging agentic and data-driven approaches to explore design trade-offs, reduce manual effort, and improve the adaptability of physical design flows.
• Explore adaptive techniques for physical design: Investigate and prototype data-informed methods that improve tool reliability and design outcomes across varying chip architectures.
• Collaborate with global R&D teams: Partner with engineers and researchers across Cadence’s worldwide offices to align on technical direction, share findings, and contribute to roadmap development.
• Communicate technical work clearly: Document algorithms, design decisions, and experimental findings through code reviews, written summaries, and team discussions.
• Stay current with the field: Actively engage with advances in algorithms, AI/ML, and EDA research to bring new thinking into the team’s work.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Linux

Algorithms

Problem solving

Education

MSc in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Innovus

Linux/Unix

Git

Job description

Cadence in Cambridge, UK is seeking an early-career Software Engineer for Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS) within the Innovus R&D team. You will contribute to high-performance EDA algorithms and explore AI-driven design automation approaches, collaborating with a global team to advance chip design tools.

You will grow technically through mentorship while delivering reliable CTS capabilities in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, improving chip performance and power efficiency across diverse