Physical Design Engineer Senior Staff

Company:

Qualcomm Israel Ltd.

Job Area:

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > ASICS Engineering

General Summary:

As a leading technology innovator, Qualcomm pushes the boundaries of what's possible to enable next-generation experiences and drives communication and data processing transformation to help create a smarter, connected future for all.  As a Qualcomm ASIC Engineer, you will define, model, design (digital and/or analog), optimize, verify, validate, implement, and document IP (block/SoC) development for a variety of high performance, high quality, low power world class products. Qualcomm Engineers collaborate with cross-functional groups to determine product execution path.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field and 6+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Science, Engineering, or related field and 5+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Science, Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of ASIC design, verification, validation, integration, or related work experience.

We are seeking a seasoned Sr Staff Physical Design Engineer to provide technical leadership across full-chip and multi-die physical implementation on advanced TSMC FinFET nodes. You will define and own the backend design methodology, champion Agentic AI integration into the PD flow, and mentor engineers across the team while interfacing directly with foundry, EDA vendors, and executive stakeholders.

TSMC N5 / N4P / N3

Python • TCL

Agentic AI

Full-Chip PD

Flow Architecture

What You'll Do

• Architect and own the full-chip physical design strategy: floorplanning, power delivery network (PDN), clock architecture, PnR, and timing closure
• Define and drive backend methodology standards across the team for advanced node tapeouts (N5/N4P/N3)
• Lead critical timing closure efforts — MCMM, OCV, advanced ECO strategies, and cross-corner sign-off
• Oversee and guide signal integrity, power integrity, EM/IR, and reliability analysis for full-chip designs
• Architect and lead the development of scalable PD flow infrastructure using Python and TCL — including automated regression, sign-off reporting, and run management systems
• Champion the adoption of Agentic AI in the design flow — define use cases, evaluate tools, prototype autonomous agents for floorplan exploration, timing closure, and ECO automation
• Lead cross-functional design reviews with DFT, verification, analog, and process engineering teams
• Interface with TSMC, EDA vendors (Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens), and internal research teams to evaluate and adopt new methodologies
• Mentor and technically guide junior and mid-level PD engineers across the organization

What You'll Need

• 10+ years of experience in digital Physical Design with a proven track record of tapeouts on FinFET nodes (N7 and below)
• Deep expertise in full-chip and block-level floorplanning, clock architecture, STA, PnR, and physical sign-off
• Expert proficiency in EDA tools: Synopsys ICC2/Fusion, Cadence Innovus, Calibre, PrimeTime, RedHawk / Voltus, StarRC / Quantus
• Advanced Python and TCL scripting — ability to architect large-scale PD automation frameworks and flow infrastructure
• Proven experience in flow development: designing, implementing, and owning end-to-end backend design flows at team or organization level
• Demonstrated experience or vision for applying Agentic AI methodologies to EDA challenges — autonomous agents, AI-driven optimization, LLM-assisted debugging
• Strong communication skills — ability to present methodology decisions, risk assessments, and tapeout readiness to senior management
• Experience with power optimization (DVFS, multi-Vt, power domains, UPF/CPF)

Preferred Experience

• Experience with chiplets, 2.5D/3D IC physical design, or advanced packaging technologies
• Familiarity with AI/ML-driven EDA tool evaluation and vendor collaboration
• Prior experience in a tech lead or staff engineering leadership role

*References to a particular number of years experience are for indicative purposes only. Applications from candidates with equivalent experience will be considered, provided that the candidate can demonstrate an ability to fulfill the principal duties of the role and possesses the required competencies.

Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.

To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies:Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.

If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.