Principal Physical Verification Engineer

Socket.dev; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Celero Communications, Inc. is a fast-growing semiconductor startup delivering high-performance coherent DSPs for AI infrastructure. We seek a Full-Chip Physical Verification Engineer to own PV across advanced node tapeouts, collaborating with analog and physical design teams to ensure manufacturability and schedule adherence.

Locations: San Jose, CA (preferred) or Irvine, CA. Requirements include 7+ years in full-chip PV, experience with ICV/Calibre, and a proven ability to lead verification

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of experience with full-chip verifications.
• Proficient with ICV or Calibre PV tools and capable of assembling a PV flow.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-chip Physical Verification efforts for projects.
• Own execution plans and schedules for full-chip PV.
• Drive quality, milestones, and tapeout readiness.
• Run and analyze DRC/LVS for blocks and full-chip.

Skills

Full-chip verification

PV flow

Floorplanning guidance

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in Electrical Engineering

Tools

ICV

Calibre

Job description

Celero Communications, Inc. is an exciting and fast-growing semiconductor startup developing high-performance coherent digital signal processors (DSPs) for optical interconnects used in large-scale AI infrastructure. Celero's goal is to enable higher-bandwidth, lower-power optical connectivity between AI clusters and data centers.

We are seeking a Full-Chip Physical Verification Engineer to join our Physical Design team and help deliver complex digital blocks and full-chip implementations in advanced process technologies. This role will own all aspects of Physical Verification execution on advanced TSMC nodes, ensuring design quality, manufacturability, and tapeout readiness. The ideal candidate has successfully completed multiple tapeouts and brings deep expertise in physical verification methodologies, including driving improvements in quality, execution efficiency, and predictable delivery across multiple programs. You will work closely with the Analog Design and Physical Design teams to identify and resolve verification challenges while ensuring designs meet aggressive performance, manufacturability, and schedule objectives.

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

Key Responsibilities

• Team & Project Leadership
  • Lead full chip Physical Verification effort
  • Own execution plans, schedules for full-chip
  • Drive accountability for quality, milestones, and tapeout readiness.
  • Conduct full chip and blocks PV checks
• Physical Verification Ownership
  • Ownership of full chip verification
  • Work with internal analog team to ensure clean IP delivery
  • Responsible for running and analyzing DRC/ERC/LUP/PERC results
  • Experience with using either ICV or Calibre verification tools
  • Understanding advanced TSMC DRC rules
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with analog, block, chip top owners to ensure clean floorplan
  • Provide early guidance on corner case requirements
  • Influence floorplan constraints, hierarchy, and implementation strategy
  • Participate in tapeout readiness reviews

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of experience with full-chip verifications.
• Proven hands-on experience with:
  • Physical Verification tool (ICV/Calibre)
  • Able to assemble a flow to support block/chip level PV
• Strong expertise in:
  • Floorplanning to avoid DRC/LVS issues
  • Provide guidance to analog IP team to allow for clean integration

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in advanced technology nodes (7nm, 5nm, 3nm)
• Automation skills using Tcl, Python, or shell scripting

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