Advanced ASIC Physical Design Engineer

Cisco; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a Physical Design Engineer to contribute to RTL-to-GDSII implementation for advanced semiconductor nodes. You will optimize floor planning, timing, and backend flows while collaborating with RTL, DFT, and EDA teams to deliver high-performance networking chips.

You should have a Master’s degree or a Bachelor’s with 2+ years of ASIC experience, with hands-on experience in industry tools and strong scripting skills.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in ASIC Physical Design or related field with relevant project work.
• Bachelor’s degree with 2 years of work experience in ASIC/engineering.
• Foundational knowledge of ASIC physical design concepts and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive RTL-to-GDSII implementation for advanced nodes (sub-16nm to 3nm).
• Define hierarchical floor planning, place-and-route, clock/power distribution and timing convergence.
• Perform STA, setup reviews, and sign-offs for multi-mode/multi-corner designs; develop automated scripts.
• Implement and manage timing ECO strategies using tools like PrimeTime.
• Identify gaps and recommend tool/flow/methodology improvements.
• Collaborate with RTL, DFT, and EDA vendors to improve efficiency.
• Evaluate new timing methodologies and provide debugging solutions.
• Contribute to best practices and alignment across projects.

Skills

Python scripting

Tcl scripting

Perl scripting

RTL-to-GDSII

Education

Master’s degree in ASIC Physical Design

Bachelor’s degree with 2 years of experience

Tools

Cadence Innovus

Synopsys ICC2

Synopsys Design Compiler

Mentor Calibre

Synopsys ICV

PrimeTime

Job description

Cisco is seeking a Physical Design Engineer to contribute to RTL-to-GDSII implementation for advanced semiconductor nodes. You will optimize floor planning, timing, and backend flows while collaborating with RTL, DFT, and EDA teams to deliver high-performance networking chips.

You should have a Master’s degree or a Bachelor’s with 2+ years of ASIC experience, with hands-on experience in industry tools and strong scripting skills.