ASIC Physical Design Engineer II (Full Time) - United States
About The Position
The Silicon One team creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, powering Cisco’s core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products for organizations globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms are shaping the technology industry. We're a global team of creative experts, bringing our unique backgrounds and bold ideas to push boundaries and help each other grow. Because full product development—from design to qualification to production—is within our team, we’re able to think differently, experiment more, and work quickly. Join us to power the future of the digital world. As a Physical Design Engineer, you will play a key role in the full RTL-to-GDSII implementation flow for advanced semiconductor nodes. You will optimize floor planning and timing, analyze and improve backend design flows, and collaborate across teams to ensure the successful delivery of high-performance networking chips.
Requirements
- Meet one of the following (completed within the past 3 years or expected to be completed within the next 12 months): -A Master's degree with 0 years of work experience; or -A Bachelor's degree with 2 years of work experience.
- Qualifying education and work experience should be in ASIC Physical Design, ASIC design, engineering or a related field.
- Foundational knowledge of ASIC physical design and implementation flows gained through academic projects, internships, or relevant coursework.
- Understanding of physical design concepts, including floor planning , clock tree synthesis, power distribution, and I/O planning.
- Exposure to the physical design lifecycle, including logic synthesis, placement, routing, and basic timing closure.
Nice To Haves
- Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, Tcl , or Perl for task automation and data analysis.
- Hands-on experience with industry-standard EDA tools (e.g., Cadence Innovus , Synopsys ICC2, or Synopsys Design Compiler) through lab work or internships.
- Familiarity with physical verification processes (DRC/LVS) using tools such as Mentor Calibre or Synopsys ICV.
- Exposure to static timing analysis concepts and tools, such as PrimeTime .
Responsibilities
- Own and drive RTL-to-GDSII implementation for advanced nodes (sub-16nm to 3nm).
- Define and execute hierarchical floor planning, place and route, clock and power distribution, and timing convergence strategies.
- Perform static timing analysis (STA), setup reviews, and sign-offs for multi-mode/multi-corner designs; develop automated scripts within STA tools.
- Implement and manage timing ECO strategies using tools like Tweaker/ PrimeTime .
- Analyze quality and efficiency gaps, recommend tool , flow, and methodology improvements.
- Collaborate with RTL, DFT, EDA vendors, and tool owners to drive design and implementation efficiency.
- Evaluate and implement new timing methodologies; provide creative debugging solutions.
- Contribute to best practices and drive methodology alignment across projects.
Benefits
- medical, dental and vision insurance
- a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
- paid parental leave
- short and long-term disability coverage
- basic life insurance
- grants of Cisco restricted stock units
- 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
- 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday
- paid year-end holiday shutdown
- 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
- 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees (non-exempt)
- flexible vacation time off program (exempt)
- 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter
- up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
- Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members
- Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
- annual bonuses (for non-sales roles)
- performance-based incentive pay (for sales roles)
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
