Senior Principal AE-RF Design Engineer

Cadence; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Cadence is seeking an Experienced Millimeter-Wave IC Designer to specialize in high-frequency transceivers and components for 5G/6G, aerospace radar, and automotive sensors. You will drive the full product lifecycle from concept to tape-out and lab validation, addressing parasitics, thermal management, and advanced EM modeling.

The candidate should have 10+ years in RF design, deep experience in PAs, LNAs, mixers, VCOs, RF PLLs, and phase noise control, with hands-on use of Cadence Virtuoso,

Qualifications

• 10+ years of RF/mmWave IC design experience.
• Experience with high-frequency transceivers and components for 30 GHz+ applications.
• Strong background in parasitic extraction and high-frequency EM modeling.

Responsibilities

• Drive full product lifecycle from concept to tape-out and lab validation.
• Tackle parasitic extraction, thermal management, and high-frequency EM modeling.
• Engage with customers and translate requirements into robust designs.

Skills

PA design

LNA design

RF mixer design

VCO design

RF PLL design

Phase noise control

Customer engagement

Education

M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Cadence Virtuoso

EMX

Clarity

Pegasus

VSS

Job description

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Experienced Millimeter-Wave (mmWave) IC Designer Specialize In Engineering High-frequency (30 GHz+) Transceivers And Components For 5G/6G Communications, Aerospace Radar, And Automotive Sensors. Will Drive The Full Product Lifecycle, Tackling Challenges Like Parasitic Extraction, Thermal Management, And High-frequency Electromagnetic Modeling. High Level Of Customer Engagement At a Fast Pace On State Of The Art Design. Requires a Deep, Specialized Skill Set

• Building Blocks: Deep expertise in designing custom blocks such as Power Amplifiers (PAs), Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs), mixers, and Voltage-Controlled Oscillators (VCOs).
• RF Subsystem: Deep expertise in designing Tx and Rx signal chains for noise, figure, linearity dynamic range and power efficiency. Deep experience in RF PLL design including Sigma delta, FRAC-N PLL. Phase noise and spurius signal, settling time. Experience with PLL buildng blocks such as PFD, charge pumps, dividers, multipliers.
• Architecture: Proficiency in RF transceiver architectures, direct-conversion topologies, and phased-array systems. Signal chain analysis and system figures of merit such as ACPR, EVM and BER.
• Process Technologies: Hands-on experience on advanced nodes using RF SOI process and deep knowledge of the required trade offs.
• Software Tools: Mastery of standard EDA software environments, including:
  • System Simulation: VSS -
  • Schematic & Simulation: Cadence Virtuoso and VRF flows
  • Electromagnetic (EM) Simulation: EMX, and Clarity
  • Layout & Verification: Layout MXL, QRC and Pegasus

• Education: Usually an M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (or a closely related discipline).
• Experience: 10+ years of industrial experience taking designs from conception through tape-out to final lab validation.
• Validation: Extensive lab characterization experience utilizing high-frequency equipment like spectrum analyzers, VNAs, and probe stations.

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