Principal Physical Design Engineer

Celero Communications; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Celero Communication Inc. seeks an experienced Physical Design Engineer to lead the physical implementation of SoCs, overseeing floorplanning, power planning, place-and-route, CTS, timing closure, and physical verification.

You will collaborate with architecture, RTL, circuit design, and verification teams to ensure high-performance, manufacturable silicon ready for tapeout. The role calls for 5+ years in ASIC physical design, hands-on experience with 7nm/5nm/3nm flows, and mastery of Cadence

Qualifications

• 5+ years of ASIC physical design experience, with tapeout in advanced nodes.
• Proven ability to drive floorplanning, CTS, power planning, and routing for high-performance chips.
• Experience resolving STA, DRC, LVS issues and signoff requirements.
• Deep knowledge of EM/IR and physically aware synthesis techniques.
• Experience mentoring engineers and defining design methodologies.

Responsibilities

• RTL-to-GDSII execution for SoCs or complex digital blocks.
• Design optimization including floorplanning, power grid, and CTS for performance.
• Convergence of timing and signal integrity with frontend teams.
• Run STA and physical verification; fix DRC/LVS violations.
• Develop automation and robust flow improvements via scripting.
• Partner with architecture, RTL, and analog teams for tapeout readiness.

Skills

ASIC physical design

Floorplanning

P&R (Place & Route)

Timing closure

Cross-functional leadership

Scripting (Python/Tcl/Perl)

Tools

Cadence Innovus

Cadence Tempus

Cadence Voltus

Cadence Pegasus

Cadence Calibre

Job description

Celero Communication Inc. is an exciting and fast-growing start-up in the semiconductor industry, pushing boundaries with innovative technologies that power the world's most advanced AI and data center infrastructure. We are seeking an experienced Physical Design Engineer to lead the transformation of complex circuit designs into high-quality, manufacturable silicon. In this role, you will drive all aspects of the physical implementation flow, including floorplanning, power planning, place-and-route (P&R), clock tree synthesis, timing closure, and physical verification. You will collaborate closely with architecture, RTL, circuit design, and verification teams to deliver high-performance chips that meet aggressive targets for performance, power, area (PPA), signal integrity, and manufacturability. As a technical leader, you will help define physical design methodologies, mentor engineers, and ensure successful tape-out of next-generation semiconductor products.

Locations: San Jose, CA (preferred) or Irvine, CA (HQ)

Core Responsibilities

• RTL-to-GDSII Execution: Own physical implementation of System-on-Chips (SoCs) or complex digital blocks.
• Design Optimization: Manage floor-planning, bump planning, power grid design, and clock tree synthesis (CTS) to optimize chip performance.
• Design Convergence: Resolve timing, congestions, EM/IR issues together with Frontend Designers
• Signoff & Verification: Run Static Timing Analysis (STA) and physical verification. Fix Design Rule Checking (DRC) and Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) violations.
• Methodology Development: Drive automation and improve flow robustness using scripting languages like Tcl, Python, or Perl.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with architects, logic designers, and analog design team for tapeout readiness.

Key Qualifications

• Must have 5+ years of relevant ASIC physical design experience (depending on degree level).
• Process Knowledge: Deep tapeout experience in advanced technology nodes (e.g., 7nm, 5nm, 3nm).
• Tool Mastery: Advanced proficiency with industry-standard EDA tools from vendors like Cadence (e.g., Innovus, Tempus, Voltus, Pegasus, Calibre).
• Technical Concepts: Expertise in physically aware synthesis, power domain analysis, and Electromigration/IR-drop (EM/IR) cleanup.

Annual Base Salary Range: $150,000 to $250,000 (The final offer will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and location.)