Senior Digital ASIC Design Engineer

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. in Cambridge, MA seeks an experienced ASIC hardware engineer to design and simulate transistor‑level circuits and contribute to system‑level architectures.

You will lead multi‑disciplinary teams, optimize for performance, power, and cost, and drive complex design challenges from requirements through tape‑out. Requires 7–10 years (or 5–10 with a master’s) in ASIC hardware engineering, fluent SystemVerilog/Verilog/VHDL, and experience with Cadence or

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field; a master’s degree is preferred.
• 7–10 years of ASIC hardware engineering experience with a bachelor’s degree, or 5–10 years with a master’s degree.
• Fluent in SystemVerilog, Verilog, or VHDL and familiar with lint, simulation, and synthesis.
• Experience leading design teams and delivering tape-outs at advanced nodes.

Responsibilities

• Design and simulate circuits at transistor level to implement architecture and requirements.
• Contribute to system-level design and optimize hardware for performance, power, and cost.
• Evaluate hardware feasibility of complex algorithms and requirements.
• Independently drive solutions and manage design teams to meet program goals.
• Develop, document, and teach best practices; guide physical layout and floor-planning.
• Support business development and proposal activities.

Skills

IC design

System Verilog/Verilog/VHDL

Architectural planning

Front-end digital design

Team leadership

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Cadence

Synopsys

Design flows

RTL design

Job description

Overview

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross‑fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation.

Responsibilities

• Design and simulate circuits at transistor-level to implement architecture and requirement specifications.
• Contribute to system-level design.
• Optimize hardware designs for performance, power, and cost.
• Evaluate the hardware feasibility of complex algorithms and requirements.
• Independently contribute to complex chip architectures and designs.
• Independently drive solutions to complex problems – develop requirements, propose ways forward when customer requirements are unclear or incomplete, and adapt appropriately to changes in requirements.
• Contribute to business development and proposal activities.
• Develop, document, and teach best practices to less experienced engineers.
• Perform or guide physical layout, including floor‑planning, and simulate circuits using extracted parasitics, contribute to design‑for‑test development.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills and Abilities

• Proficiency in integrated circuit design.
• Understanding of integrated circuits, semiconductors, and general computer architecture.
• Ability to write detailed design specifications.
• Ability to lead multi‑disciplinary technical teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent mathematical skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong time‑management skills with proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and achieve program goals.

Education

Requires a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field. A master’s degree is preferred.

Experience

Requires 7‑10 years of experience with a bachelor’s degree, or 5‑10 years of experience with a master’s degree in ASIC hardware engineering or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with low‑power circuit design.
• Experience with CMOS advanced nodes below 32nm.
• Experience with radiation‑hardened electronics.

Additional Requirements

Applicants should possess solid skills in front‑end digital systems design with experience in design flows from Cadence or Synopsys. Be fluent in System Verilog, Verilog, or VHDL and familiar with lint, simulation, and synthesis. Familiarity with secure‑systems architectures such as cryptographic encoders/decoders or tagged processor architectures is a plus. Demonstrated experience with successful tape‑outs at advanced nodes is desired. Experience leading and managing design teams is also desired. Active U.S. secret clearance is required. This position requires onsite work in Cambridge, MA. Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Location

Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139‑3563.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Draper is committed to creating an inclusive environment. We understand the value of inclusivity and its impact on a high‑performance culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Draper is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, please contact [e-mail].