EDA/CAD Engineer – Characterization Specialist

Success Matcher Recruitment; Los Altos (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity up to 1.5%

Visa sponsorship available

Job summary

Success Matcher Recruitment is representing an early-stage AI-powered semiconductor design startup in California. You will own building a scalable cell characterization engine, covering timing, power, and noise models, while coordinating SPICE orchestration and IP libraries.

You’ll work closely with founders and engineering teams, with opportunities for significant equity and visa sponsorship. Strong preference for MS/PhD in EE/CS, plus hands-on tool-building experience.

Qualifications

• 3–10 years in cell characterization tools or related EDA R&D.
• Hands-on experience with C++ and Python for tool development.
• Strong knowledge of SPICE-based simulators (HSPICE, Spectre, FineSim).
• Experience with Liberty (.lib) generation and timing/power characterization.
• Advanced degree preferred; bachelor's with strong hands-on experience considered.

Responsibilities

• Build a scalable characterization engine for standard cells and custom IP.
• Develop and optimize SPICE orchestration, parallelization, and sampling.
• Generate and validate Liberty models for downstream static timing tools.
• Create APIs linking characterization data with AI-driven optimization workflows.

Skills

C++

Python

SPICE tools

Liberty models

EDA tools

Education

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering or CS

Bachelor’s with hands-on tool-building experience

Tools

PrimeLib

SiliconSmart

Cadence Liberate

Job description

Our client is an early-stage AI-powered semiconductor design startup transforming electronic design automation (EDA). By applying AI to chip design, the company aims to optimize power, performance, and area while improving manufacturability. Backed by experienced founders, with a publicly announced partnership with a major semiconductor foundry, the team is building technology to push the boundaries of chip design.

Why Join?

• Build from scratch: Own the development of a cell characterization engine comparable to leading industry tools.
• Meaningful equity: Join a founding-stage team with equity opportunities of up to 1.5%.
• Competitive compensation: $250K–$350K base salary, with flexibility for exceptional candidates.
• Work with industry leaders: Collaborate directly with founders, technical teams, and major semiconductor customers.
• Visa sponsorship available: Open to visa transfers and new sponsorship.

Key Responsibilities

• Build a scalable characterization engine for standard cells and custom IP, covering timing, power, and noise models.
• Develop and optimize SPICE simulation orchestration, parallelization, and sampling.
• Generate and validate Liberty (.lib) models for downstream static timing analysis tools.
• Build APIs connecting characterization data with AI-driven chip optimization workflows.

Required Experience

• 3–10 years of experience in cell characterization tools, EDA research and development, or related engineering.
• Hands-on experience with C++ and Python for engineering tool development.
• Strong knowledge of SPICE-based simulation tools such as HSPICE, Spectre, or FineSim.
• Experience with Liberty (.lib) generation, timing and power characterization, and tools such as PrimeLib, SiliconSmart, or Cadence Liberate.
• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field preferred; a bachelor's degree with strong hands-on tool-building experience is also considered.