Principal ASIC Physical Design Engineer

K2 Space Corporation; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the company

Comprehensive benefits package

Paid time off

Job summary

K2 Space Corporation in Seattle is seeking a Principal ASIC Physical Design Engineer. You will lead the implementation of advanced SoCs for satellite systems, managing the RTL-to-GDSII flow and collaborating with various teams.

This role demands 10+ years' experience in ASIC design, a strong understanding of physical design techniques, and excellent leadership skills. The position offers competitive compensation, including base salary and equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in ASIC physical design for high-performance SoCs.
• Proven expertise in physical design for multi-clock, multi-voltage SoCs.
• Experience managing offshore physical design teams or vendors.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete RTL-to-GDSII flow from synthesis to sign-off.
• Develop methodologies to optimize performance, power, and area.
• Collaborate with design and verification teams for clean handoffs.

Skills

RTL-to-GDSII flow expertise

Timing closure

IR drop analysis

ECO implementation

Leadership and communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Synopsys

Cadence

Siemens

Job description

We are looking for a Principal ASIC Physical Design Engineer to lead the implementation of complex SoCs for next-generation satellite and space systems. You will own the full physical design flow—from RTL handoff to GDSII—and collaborate closely with architecture, RTL design, DFT, and packaging teams. This role also involves managing external physical design partners, driving tool and flow decisions, and ensuring first-pass silicon success in advanced FinFET technologies. You’ll be a key contributor in achieving timing closure, optimizing PPA, and supporting design integration with external partners. You will be part of a collaborative design team developing state-of-the‑art mixed‑signal SoCs to be hosted on some of the largest, most powerful, rapidly designed and rapidly manufactured satellites ever deployed in space.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete RTL-to-GDSII flow: synthesis, floorplanning, place & route, clock tree synthesis (CTS), static timing analysis (STA), physical verification (DRC/LVS), and sign‑off.
• Develop and maintain physical design methodologies, scripts, and automation to optimize performance, power, and area (PPA).
• Collaborate with front‑end and verification teams to ensure clean handoffs, timing closure, and efficient design iteration.
• Drive timing closure across multiple voltage and process corners, including sign‑off with foundry‑qualified tools.
• Partner with package, SI/PI, and test teams for package‑aware floorplanning and chip‑to‑board integration.
• Manage and technically guide external physical design partners and service vendors, ensuring alignment on milestones, deliverables, and quality standards.
• Work with EDA vendors to debug and optimize tool flows, and evaluate new methodologies.
• Support chip bring‑up and debug through close collaboration with post‑silicon and test teams.
• Support your product through production and spaceflight.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in ASIC physical design for high‑performance SoCs.
• Proven end‑to‑end expertise in RTL-to-GDSII flows using industry tools (Synopsys, Cadence, or Siemens).
• Strong hands‑on experience with timing closure, IR drop analysis, and ECO implementation.
• Deep understanding of physical design constraints for multi‑clock, multi‑voltage, and hierarchical SoCs.
• Experience with advanced FinFET process nodes.
• Prior experience managing or coordinating offshore/outsourced PD teams or vendors.
• Familiarity with DFT integration, STA sign‑off, and power domain implementation (UPF/CPF).
• Excellent communication, leadership, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Act as technical leader and subject‑matter expert helping to teach, grow, and mentor others in the team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to radiation‑hardened or space‑qualified ASICs.
• Experience with chip‑package co‑design or advanced packaging (2.5D/3D).
• Familiarity with physical design service vendor management or offshore collaboration.
• Experience driving tapeouts through TSMC.
• Experience with Gate‑All‑Around technologies.
• Experience working in cross‑functional, geographically distributed teams.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $190,000 – $280,000 + equity in the company.
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level.
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.