ASIC Physical Design Engineer

What You'll Do

We are seeking a talented and expert Physical Design Engineer to join our team as a hands-on implementation engineer for Cisco’s silicon photonics driver integrated circuits, supporting the next generation of 100G, 200G, and 400G‑per‑lambda optical interconnect solutions. You will be part of a broader team delivering high‑performance silicon that integrates control logic, CPU subsystems, high‑speed interfaces, and receive/transmit paths within a silicon photonics module, CPO optical engine.

This unique role offers the opportunity to be part of a highly dynamic team driving flows, methodologies, and physical implementation at block level & chip level. Leveraging a strong foundation in back‑end design fundamentals and physical implementation flows, you will own block‑level implementation, support in top level floor planning, place and route, clock and power distribution, timing closure, and physical verification.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Assist in RTL/netlist‑to‑GDSII implementation for block‑level and full‑chip designs in advanced technology nodes.
• Support digital implementation flows and collaborate with EDA tool vendors to debug issues.
• Support in developing hierarchical floor plans, macro placement, I/O planning, congestion, timing, and power distribution.
• Perform static timing analysis (STA), analyze timing reports, and implement timing ECOs using tools such as Tempus and Tempus ECO, or equivalent industry‑standard tools.
• Collaborate with RTL, Analog, DFT, Packaging, CAD, and EDA teams to resolve implementation issues and improve overall design convergence.
• Run and debug back‑end signoff checks, including power integrity, IR/EM analysis, and physical verification.
• Develop automation scripts using TCL, Python, Bash, or Perl for QoR tracking, reporting, and flow efficiency.

Who You’ll Work With:

As a Physical Design Engineer, you will work with a diverse team of engineers across digital design, analog/mixed-signal design, DFT, verification, package engineering, CAD, and post-silicon validation. During the concept and planning phases, you will help define implementation strategy, physical constraints, and floor planning methodology. During execution, you will own block-level implementation and contribute to full-chip integration of various IPs

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams dispersed in various geo-locations to achieve timing, power, area, congestion, and signoff closure and help ensure successful silicon delivery through production.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field (Master’s preferred) 
• 8-12 years of PD experience in ASIC/SoC physical design and implementation
• Hands-on experience with full physical design flow including floor planning, power planning, place and route, clock tree synthesis, extraction, STA, ECOs, and physical signoff
• Experience with industry‑standard synthesis tools such as Cadence Genus or equivalent; Place and Route tools like Cadence Innovus; Static Timing Analysis (STA) tools like Cadence Tempus and/or Synopsys PrimeTime; Back‑End Reliability & Power Integrity flows using tools such as Cadence Voltus or Ansys RedHawk; experience with industry‑standard physical verification tools such as Siemens Calibre and/or Cadence Pegasus.
• Strong scripting skills in TCL, Python, or Perl for automation and flow development
• Familiarity with ASIC/SoC design flow, DFT concepts, and Linux-based development environments
• You must be a team player and be able to collaborate effectively.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, debugging, teamwork skills.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical Engineering or equivalent field
• 3+ years of PD experience in ASIC/SoC physical design and implementation in advanced CMOS tech nodes
• Proven hands-on experience with the full physical design flow at block and/or chip level PD
• Good understanding of various EDA tools and sign-off criteria
• Good team player

Why Cisco

WE ARE CISCO

#WeAreCisco, where each person is unique, but we bring our talents to work as a team and make a difference. Here’s how we do it.

We embrace digital and help our customers implement change in their digital businesses. Some may think we’re “old” (30 years strong!) And only about hardware, but we’re also a software company. And a security company. A blockchain company. An AI/Machine Learning company. We even invented an intuitive network that adapts, predicts, learns, and protects. No other company can do what we do – you can’t put us in a box!

But “Digital Transformation” is an empty buzz phrase without a culture that allows for innovation, creativity, and yes, even failure (if you learn from it.)

Day to day, we focus on the give and take. We give our best, we give our egos a break, and we give of ourselves (because giving back is built into our DNA.) We take accountability, we take bold steps, and we take difference to heart. Because without diversity of thought and a commitment to equality for all, there is no moving forward.

So, you have colorful hair? Don’t care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That’s cool.

Why Cisco? 

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. 

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.