Principal ASIC Design Engineer

Atomcomputing; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited paid time off

401K matching

Fully paid health insurance

Job summary

Atomcomputing is looking for a Principal ASIC Designer in Boulder, CO to lead the ASIC design processes for quantum computing technologies. This role involves significant collaboration with engineering teams and stakeholders to develop production-ready designs.

The ideal candidate should have a MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering and over 10 years of experience as a hardware engineer, having overseen multiple ASIC design cycles. This includes hands-on design, mentoring ASIC engineers, and managing product roadmaps.

The position offers a competitive salary of $180,000 - $220,000 along with comprehensive benefits, including health insurance and unlimited paid time off.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience as a hardware engineer.
• Experience through 2 or more complete ASIC design cycles.
• Proficiency in implementing large digital signal processing blocks.

Responsibilities

• Define and establish ASIC design methodologies.
• Support hiring and mentoring of ASIC engineers.
• Manage schedules and vendor interfaces.

Skills

ASIC design process establishment

Mentoring ASIC engineers

Hand-on ASIC design

Collaboration with cross-functional teams

Performance evaluation of ASIC fabs

Education

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

SystemVerilog

Cadence

Synopsys

Siemens EDA design tools

Job description

At Atom Computing, we build quantum computers using arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms that will empower customers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Join a world-class team of scientists, engineers, and business professionals to advance the state-of-the-art in quantum computing.

Atom Computing is seeking a Principal ASIC Designer to oversee the development of critical technologies that power our quantum computers. In this role, you will own end-to-end design strategy—from requirements definition through silicon bring-up—while driving critical trade‑off decisions across performance, power, area, and system integration constraints. You will partner closely with customers and cross‑functional teams to translate evolving requirements into production‑ready designs, ensuring alignment between technical execution and business objectives. As a senior technical leader, you will provide strategic guidance to executive stakeholders, shaping the long‑term silicon roadmap and influencing key investment decisions. This position requires deep expertise in ASIC development and strong systems thinking.

Due to the need for collaboration with Atom’s theory, software, hardware and optics teams, this role is required to be in the office in Boulder, CO or Austin, TX at least 3 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Establish ASIC design processes internal to Atom Computing by defining methodologies across architecture, RTL, verification, and tapeout.
• Support hiring and mentoring a small team of ASIC engineers as required to implement the products.
• Perform hands‑on ASIC design including microarchitecture, RTL development, testing, and integration.
• Manage schedules and vendor interfaces by coordinating milestones, aligning with ASIC partners, and ensuring successful fabrication.
• Work closely with Atom Computing’s quantum physicists, optical engineers, hardware and software engineers to understand use cases and deliver hardware that addresses the needs.
• Manage the product roadmap and subsystem delivery schedules supporting both commercial and research projects.
• Participate in the design and development of current FPGA designs. Influence the FPGA design and development process to prepare for ASIC design.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of post‑degree experience as a hardware engineer.
• Have gone through 2 or more complete ASIC design cycles.
• Experience porting designs from FPGA prototypes to ASICs
• Proficiency with RTL (SystemVerilog preferred)
• Experience in implementing large digital signal processing blocks in RTL
• Working knowledge of performance and limitations of ASIC fabs, partners, and design nodes as well as FPGA capabilities to guide selection of best fit for our applications
• Knowledge of Cadence, Synopsys, or Siemens EDA design tools
• Expertise in FPGA, microprocessor, and related digital circuit design and functions
• Mixed signal design experience

Benefits

Atom Computing provides a wide variety of perks and benefits, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for our employees and their dependents. Additionally, unlimited paid time off, 401K company matching, short- and long-term disability, FSA, dependent care benefits, and life insurance. We also offer drinks, snacks, and catered team lunches in our offices, every day!

The base salary range for this position is between $180,000 - $220,000, commensurate with experience. In addition to salary, we offer an annual bonus and equity in the company.