DFT Engineer - New College Grad

NVIDIA Corporation; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

NVIDIA is seeking a highly motivated DFT Engineer to join its Design-for-Test team in California. You will work on end-to-end DFT for the world’s most sophisticated chips, partnering with EDA vendors and internal CAD to enhance automation and efficiency.

You will mentor junior engineers, tackle multi-million gate designs, and contribute to post-silicon validation. The role emphasizes strong analytical skills and broad domain exposure across RTL, clocking, STA, and power.

Qualifications

• Pursuing an MS or PhD (or equivalent experience) in a related field.
• Experience defining scan test plans, BIST including memories and IOs, fault modeling, ATPG and fault simulation.
• Analytical skills for verification and validation of test patterns on multi-million gate designs using vendor tools.
• Exposure to RTL/ clocks design, STA, place-n-route and power trade-offs.
• Silicon debug and bring-up on the ATE; understanding of pattern formats, failure processing, and test program development.

Responsibilities

• End-to-end DFT for the most sophisticated chips, from methodology to post-silicon lifecycle support.
• Partner with top EDA tool vendors to develop capabilities and with internal CAD for automation.
• Collaborate with NVIDIA VLSI and Operations to deliver the scan feature across product segments.
• Mentor junior engineers on test designs and trade-offs including cost and quality.

Skills

Scan test planning

BIST

ATPG

Fault modeling

RTL & clocks design

STA

Place-and-route

Power

Silicon debug

ATE

Perl/Python/Tcl

Education

MS/PhD or equivalent

Tools

Vendor EDA tools

Job description

NVIDIA has continuously reinvented itself over two decades. Our invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics, and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI — the next era of computing. NVIDIA is a “learning machine” that constantly evolves by adapting to new opportunities that are hard to solve, that only we can seek, and that matter to the world. This is our life’s work, to amplify human creativity and intelligence. Make the choice to join us today.

We are now looking for a highly motivated DFT Engineer to join this multifaceted and innovative hardware team at NVIDIA. Our Design-for-Test Engineering team works on groundbreaking innovations involving crafting creative solutions for DFT architecture, verification and post-silicon validation on some of the industry's most sophisticated semiconductor chips.

What you’ll be doing:

• In this highly technical role, you will work on end-to-end DFT for the most sophisticated chips in the world, from methodology, to deployment to post-silicon lifecycle support.
• Partner with the top EDA tool vendors to develop new capabilities to support NVIDIA requirements, and with internal CAD to drive efficiency via automations.
• Work with NVIDIA VLSI and Operations teams to deliver the scan feature in all product segments at NVIDIA.
• Help mentor junior engineers on test designs and trade-offs including cost and quality.

What we need to see:

• Pursuing a MS or PhD (or equivalent experience).
• Knowledge in defining scan test plans, BIST including memories and IOs, fault modeling, ATPG and fault simulation.
• Excellent analytical skills in verification and validation of test patterns and logic on sophisticated and multi-million gate designs using vendor tools.
• Good exposure to multiple domains including RTL & clocks design, STA, place-n-route and power, to ensure we are making the right trade-offs.
• Experience in Silicon debug and bring-up on the ATE with an understanding of pattern formats, failure processing, and test program development.

Ways to stand out from the crowd:

• Strong programming and scripting skills in Perl, Python or Tcl desired.

NVIDIA offers highly competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package. At NVIDIA, we work on the hardest problems, and some of the most brilliant and motivated people in their fields choose to work here. Our world‑class engineering teams are growing, as we lead the AI revolution from the front. If you are ready to make an impact in this journey, we want to hear from you!

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 116,000 USD - 189,750 USD for Level 2, and 136,000 USD - 218,500 USD for Level 3.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until June 29, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characterist