Design Technology Co-Optimization Lead Principle Engineer

Skywater • Austin, TX

7d

About The Position

Join SkyWater at the forefront of innovation, where design, technology, and problem-solving converge. As a technical expert, leading Design-Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) for future SkyWater technologies, you’ll take ownership of strategic DTCO development and guide the technical direction that enables fast, efficient growth across our manufacturing sites. This position drives high-impact collaboration between advanced process technology and design, delivering breakthroughs that shape our technology roadmap and power products with unmatched performance and efficiency.

Requirements

• Masters, or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or related field
• 15+ Years in semiconductor industry experience/knowledge required
• Expertise in semiconductor transistor behavior, device scaling, technology-design tradeoffs, process technology, and PDKs with hands-on experience in mature CMOS nodes
• Demonstrated expertise with variability analysis, and design rule impacts on PPA
• Expertise with PDK components, modeling (SPICE, corners, variability), and EDA flows (physical verification)
• Ability to analyze large datasets, build predictive models, and quantify design-process interactions.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to bridge foundry/process teams, PDK teams, design/IP teams and customers; and drive technical alignment
• Hands-on expertise in semiconductor fabrication processes, including lithography, etch, deposition, and CMP, with expertise in process integration and design-rule implications
• Experience guiding technical projects and contributing to building organization capabilities
• Proven leadership with the ability to mentor junior engineers and establish technical frameworks, workflows, and documentation that position the organization for future DTCO team development and growth
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed to manufacturing sites

Responsibilities

• Lead Design-Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) activities across production sites to align process capabilities, PDK features, and design methodologies for optimal Power, Performance, Area (PPA), yield, and reliability for SkyWater’s platform technologies.
• Drive the development of DTCO methodologies and strategies that guide technology scaling, design rules, and PPA optimization for future SkyWater technology nodes.
• Partner with IP, PDK, and modeling teams to translate manufacturing constraints and variability into design-aware solutions, enabling robust PDKs, IP, and reference flows for SkyWater’s customers
• Provide technical insights that influence long‑term technology development roadmaps, including scaling tradeoffs and design enablement priorities
• Own the identification and resolution of design‑rule and process integration challenges through innovative solutions, including developing and maintaining models that capture design sensitivities to process variations, lithography constraints, and device characteristics.
• Lead cross-functional DTCO initiatives while mentoring team members and implementing scalable processes that lay the foundation for future DTCO team growth and organizational capability

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal