Principal DFT Engineer

SiTime Corporation; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

SiTime Corporation seeks a seasoned Principal DFT Engineer to lead the DFT architecture, implementation, verification, and signoff of complex digital blocks and subsystems. The role owns DFT end-to-end from architecture through manufacturing support and signoff, shaping methodology and automation across programs.

You'll collaborate with RTL and Physical Design teams, drive ATPG, timing constraints, and post-silicon bring-up with product/test engineering teams while mentoring others and upholding

Qualifications

• MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field with 10+ years, or PhD with 6+ years.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, implementation, verification, and signoff of DFT across programs.
• Define DFT architecture and specs including scan, compression, clocking, and test modes.
• Implement and validate DFT structures: scan insertion, OCC, compression like EDT/LPCT.
• Develop automated DFT flows: ATPG, verification, signoff.
• Own ATPG generation, pattern validation, fault analysis, coverage closure.
• Define, develop, and verify timing constraints for functional modes.
• Collaborate with RTL and Physical Design to resolve testability issues early.
• Work with ATE/test engineering to bring up patterns and diagnose failures.
• Not all requirements must be met; diverse experiences welcome.

Skills

DFT leadership

Scripting: Tcl/Perl/Python

Timing constraints

Education

MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related

PhD with 6+ years experience

Tools

Siemens Tessent

Synopsys TestMAX

Cadence Modus

Job description

Timing is the heartbeat of all electronics, ensuring performance, resilience and scalability. For decades, quartz devices, non-silicon technology, have kept systems in sync, but they struggle in harsher, more demanding environments. MEMS-based Precision Timing delivers greater accuracy, smaller size and resilience. Today, MEMS timing powers over 400 applications, including high-growth ones in AI datacenters, automated driving, industrial and humanoid robots, wearables and IoT.

Our semiconductor MEMS programmable solutions offer a rich feature set that enables customers to differentiate their products with higher performance, smaller size, lower power, and better reliability. With more than 4 billion devices shipped, SiTime is changing the timing industry. For more information, visit: www.sitime.com .

Job Summary

SiTime is seeking a seasoned Principal DFT Engineer to lead the DFT architecture, implementation, verification, and signoff of complex digital blocks and subsystems. The successful candidate will take end-to-end ownership of DFT from architecture and specification through implementation, coverage closure, silicon bring‑up, and manufacturing support. This role serves as a technical leader for DFT, shaping methodology and automation, resolving complex cross‑functional challenges, and establishing engineering best practices across multiple programs. We value diverse experiences, perspectives, and career paths, and welcome candidates who are excited to contribute to our mission.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the technical focal point for DFT, leading architecture, implementation, verification, and signoff reviews, and establishing reusable methodologies across multiple programs.
• Define DFT architecture and specifications, including scan architecture, compression, test access, clocking, test modes, core wrapping, and hierarchical DFT strategy.
• Implement and validate digital DFT structures, including scan insertion, OCC insertion, advanced compression architectures such as EDT and LPCT, and core wrapping.
• Develop and continuously improve automated, reproducible DFT implementation, verification, ATPG, and signoff flows to increase productivity, reduce execution risk, and ensure consistent test quality across multiple programs.
• Own ATPG generation, pattern validation, fault analysis, and coverage closure, identifying and resolving testability limitations to achieve product coverage and quality targets.
• Define, develop, and verify timing constraints for functional, scan‑shift, capture, and other test modes.
• Collaborate closely with RTL and Physical Design teams to identify and resolve testability issues early in the design cycle, meet coverage requirements, and integrate DFT implementations.
• Partner with ATE and product/test engineering teams to bring up test patterns on silicon, diagnose pattern and test failures, support yield learning, and drive issues to closure.
• It is not necessary to meet all job requirements to be a qualified candidate for the position.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• MS. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, or a Ph.D. with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience.
• Hands‑on experience driving DFT implementation and signoff through successful tape‑outs on advanced process nodes.
• Deep hands‑on experience with industry‑standard DFT insertion, ATPG, and verification tools (e.g., Siemens Tessent, Synopsys TestMAX, or Cadence Modus).
• Strong scripting capability in Tcl, Perl, and/or Python, applied to DFT flow automation, test pattern generation, and custom reporting.
• Strong understanding of SDC timing constraints for functional, scan‑shift, and capture modes, and their interaction with multi‑mode, multi‑corner timing closure
• Thorough knowledge of static DFT analysis, fault modeling, ATPG pattern generation, and gate‑level simulation (GLS) with timing.
• Experience driving DFT‑related timing and implementation closure in collaboration with Physical Design, including scan‑chain, test‑clock, test‑mode, and ECO‑related issues through signoff.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving instincts, and the ability to communicate complex technical trade‑offs clearly to both peers and leadership.
• English proficiency is required, including the ability to effectively communicate, collaborate, and perform job responsibilities in a professional business environment.

Desired Characteristics & Attributes:

• 12+ years of relevant digital DFT experience, including technical leadership across multiple complex tape‑outs.
• Experience with automotive DFT requirements and functional‑safety architectures.
• Proven experience implementing power‑aware DFT methodologies (minimizing shift/capture IR drop) and driving flow and methodology enhancements from scratch.
• Prior experience working directly with ATE test engineers on post‑silicon bring‑up, pattern translation, and yield debug.
• Demonstrated ability to drive DFT implementation and coverage closure for multiple digital cores in parallel while maintaining schedule and signoff quality.
• Experience with memory DFT, including MBIST, memory repair, and BISR methodologies.
• Experience with JTAG/boundary‑scan architectures and related test‑access methodologies.

Compensation:

At SiTime, we believe great work deserves great rewards. We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive compensation package designed to attract top talent.

In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for a quarterly bonus tied to the achievement of innovation goals—reflecting our commitment to recognizing meaningful impact. We also offer equity grants, providing a meaningful opportunity to share in the company’s future growth and success.

Benefits offered: 401k plan, health and wellness that includes medical, dental, vision, life, parental leave, legal services, and time off plans.

SiTime is an Equal Opportunity Employer . We treat each person fairly and we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment against anyone on the basis of any protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, pregnancy, political affiliation, protected veteran status, protected genetic information, or marital status or other characteristics protected by law. SiTime participates in the E‑Verify program.

Learn More about SiTime:

Review the Get to Know SiTime section of our career page to explore our culture, values, and what makes us unique.