Senior Applications Engineer, RTL to GDS

Synopsys (Singapore) Private Limited; Malaysia; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Synopsys is seeking a Senior Applications Engineer to drive RTL2GDS flows, verification and physical design collaboration for advanced nodes.

You will support customers with Formality, Fusion Compiler and scripting automation, deliver ECO solutions on tight tapeouts, and work with R&D to address real-world use cases across time zones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in EE, CE or related field required.
• 5–8 years hands-on ASIC or CAD engineering experience.
• Proficient in RTL2GDS flow, verification and place-and-route.
• Proficient in Python, Perl and TCL scripting.

Responsibilities

• Support customers through functional verification and physical design with Synopsys tools.
• Debug timing, power, and area issues at advanced nodes (5nm and below).
• Deliver ECO solutions that meet tapeout schedules.
• Build automation scripts to streamline workflows and improve turnaround time.
• Collaborate with R&D to reproduce issues and feed use cases back to product development.
• Present solutions to senior customer engineers and design leads.
• Work across RTL2GDS flow from front-end verification to signoff.

Skills

ASIC CAD engineering

RTL2GDS flow

Scripting (Python, Perl, TCL)

Customer communication

Time zone / cultural adaptation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

Tools

Formality

Formality‑ECO

Fusion Compiler

Python

Perl

TCL

Job description

Senior Applications Engineer, RTL to GDS

• Senior Applications Engineer, Digital Implementation
• Design Implementation Applications Engineer
• Senior Applications Engineer, RTL to GDS
• Staff Applications Engineer, Physical Design

Alternate Job Titles

• Senior Applications Engineer, Digital Implementation
• Design Implementation Applications Engineer
• Senior Applications Engineer, RTL to GDS
• Staff Applications Engineer, Physical Design

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

Alternate Job Titles

• Senior Applications Engineer, Digital Implementation
• Design Implementation Applications Engineer
• Senior Applications Engineer, RTL to GDS
• Staff Applications Engineer, Physical Design

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

You Are

You have spent the last few years deep in the RTL2GDS flow, and you know that the real work happens in the messy middle where verification meets implementation and theory meets timing closure. You understand that a clean ECO is not about clever tricks, it is about knowing the tools well enough to make the right call under pressure when a customer's tapeout schedule depends on it.

You are comfortable jumping between Formality runs, place and route debug sessions, and scripting automation without losing sight of what you are actually solving for. Advanced nodes do not intimidate you because you have seen what breaks at 5nm and 3nm, and you have learned to anticipate it. When something does not close, you do not guess, you dig into the data, talk to the right people, and find the path forward.

You can sit with a senior design lead, understand their constraints in real time, and walk out with a plan that actually works. At Synopsys, you will work directly with customers building the chips that power everything from AI accelerators to automotive systems, and the solutions you deliver will matter.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Support customers through functional verification and physical design implementation using Synopsys tools including Formality, Formality-ECO, and Fusion Compiler
• Debug complex design closure issues across timing, power, and area at advanced process nodes including 5nm and below
• Deliver final ECO solutions that meet customer tapeout schedules without compromising design integrity
• Build and maintain automation scripts in Python, Perl, and TCL to streamline workflows and improve turnaround time for customer engagements
• Collaborate with internal R&D teams to reproduce customer issues, validate tool behavior, and feed real-world use cases back into product development
• Present technical solutions and recommendations to senior customer engineers and design leads during critical project phases
• Work across the full RTL2GDS flow, from front-end verification through back-end implementation and signoff

The Impact You Will Have

• Enable customers to achieve first-pass silicon success on high-performance chips powering AI, automotive, and mobile applications
• Reduce customer tapeout risk by catching verification and implementation issues early in the design cycle
• Influence Synopsys tool development by bringing real customer pain points and use cases directly to engineering teams
• Accelerate customer productivity through automation scripts and best-practice methodologies that get adopted across their design teams
• Build long-term technical relationships with leading semiconductor companies in the region, becoming their trusted advisor on design implementation challenges
• Help shape how advanced node designs get built by solving problems at the edge of what the tools and processes can handle today
• Strengthen Synopsys's reputation in Malaysia as the partner that shows up when the hard problems need solving

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field with at least 5-8 years of hands‑on ASIC or CAD engineering experience
• Direct experience in functional verification and place and route, with a solid understanding of the full RTL2GDS design flow
• Working knowledge of Formality, Formality‑ECO, Fusion Compiler, or equivalent EDA tools for verification and physical design
• Proficiency in scripting with Python, Perl, and TCL to automate design tasks and improve workflow efficiency
• Experience with advanced process nodes (7nm and below) is a strong plus, especially if you have worked through design closure challenges at those nodes
• Business‑level English proficiency with the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly in written and spoken form
• Willingness to engage directly with customers, including senior engineers and design managers, in both remote and onsite settings

Who You Are

• You can explain a complex timing violation or verification mismatch to a customer in two sentences without losing the technical nuance that matters
• When a customer escalation comes in at 4pm on a Friday, you do not panic, you prioritize, loop in the right people, and get it handled
• You do not wait for perfect documentation or complete requirements, you ask the right questions, make reasonable assumptions, and move forward
• Detail matters to you, whether it is a script that needs to handle edge cases or a customer presentation that has to be accurate and clear
• You are comfortable working across time zones and cultures, adjusting your communication style to match the audience without losing clarity
• You treat customer problems like they are your own, not because it is your job, but because you care about delivering solutions that actually work

The Team You’ll Be Part Of

Join a dynamic team focused on high performance core implementation and pushing PPA. We value collaboration, continuous learning, and pushing technological boundaries.

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non‑monetary offerings.