RTL2GDS IC Design Engineer Architect

About Cadence

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

The ideal candidate will be energetic, innovative, and enthusiastic about helping customers solve their toughest Digital Implementation and Signoff challenges using Cadence technology. The candidate will drive RTL-to-GDS design activities at advanced process nodes using Cadence Digital IC products.

• Key Responsibilities

Provide technical support to Cadence customers in Digital Design Implementation and Signoff, including synthesis, floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis, routing, design closure, static timing analysis, power integrity, and timing/power signoff.

Lead block, subsystem, or full-chip RTL-to-GDS implementation from synthesized RTL or netlist through final GDS and design-database handoff.

Guide customers on how to best utilize Cadence technologies to achieve PPA, signoff-quality, and project-schedule goals.

Define and review hierarchical implementation strategies, floorplans, voltage areas, macro placement, IO and bump planning, utilization, congestion, and routability objectives.

Drive placement, optimization, CTS, multi-source CTS or clock-mesh implementation, routing, extraction, ECO, and post-route closure.

Own static timing analysis and timing-signoff methodology across multi-mode, multi-corner scenarios, including constraint quality, scenario coverage, timing-model consistency, and exception governance.

Debug setup, hold, recovery/removal, clock-gating, transition, capacitance, pulse-width, and other applicable timing violations.

Review clocks, generated clocks, clock-domain relationships, case analysis, false paths, multicycle paths, latency, uncertainty, derates, OCV methodology, propagated clocks, and SI-aware timing analysis.

Drive correlation between implementation and signoff environments and establish repeatable timing-debug, reporting, and ECO-closure procedures.

Support UPF-based low-power implementation, including voltage domains, isolation, retention, level shifters, and power switches.

Define or review power-grid implementation and support static, dynamic, vectorless, and vectored IR/EM analysis and closure.

Drive extraction, STA, LEC, CLP, IR/EM, DRC, and applicable LVS or layout-signoff flows, including issue disposition and closure evidence.

Conduct technical presentations, design reviews, and product demonstrations.

Drive technical evaluations and benchmarks to successful completion.

Work closely with R&D to enhance tools and methodologies to meet and exceed customer requirements.

Drive adoption and proliferation of Cadence tools and technologies.

Amend and augment implementation and signoff flows using Tcl, Python, shell, or other programming skills to meet objectives and improve flow quality, reproducibility, and results.

Capture best practices and lessons learned from evaluations, benchmarks, and customer engagements, and apply them to improve the efficiency and success rate of future engagements.

Define tapeout-quality acceptance criteria and ensure complete, reproducible handoff of design databases, GDS, scripts, reports, checklists, assumptions, waivers, and known limitations.

Provide technical support when developing business cases for process-improvement and methodology-development projects.

Provide mentorship and technical guidance to junior engineers.

• Qualifications and Experience

Requires a BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering or a related field, with 15-17 years of industry experience in design and EDA, focused on Digital Implementation and Signoff.

Deep understanding of the ASIC RTL-to-GDS implementation process and signoff requirements.

Strong hands-on experience with Place and Route tools such as Cadence Innovus, Synopsys ICC2, or Fusion Compiler.

Experience with synthesis tools such as Cadence Genus or RTL Compiler, or Synopsys Design Compiler.

Experience with EDA tools used in IC digital implementation and signoff flows, including STA tools such as Cadence Tempus or Synopsys PrimeTime.

Strong STA and SDC debugging abilities are required, including MMMC analysis, timing exceptions, OCV-based analysis, clock modeling, SI effects, and implementation-to-signoff correlation.

Experience with low-power analysis, UPF, multi-voltage design, clock design and analysis, and advanced 7 nm or 5 nm technology nodes is a plus.

Experience with power-grid design, extraction, IR/EM analysis, LEC, CLP, DRC, and tapeout-quality physical verification is preferred.

Automation skills using Python, Tcl, and shell scripting are essential.

Strong analytical and debug skills covering digital implementation and signoff are critical.

Proven track record of working effectively in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment.

Excellent customer interaction, technical communication, and presentation skills.

The annual salary range for California is $185,500 to $344,500. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the salary range is a guideline and compensation may vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies and work location. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more.

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