Principal Physical Design Engineer

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

19h • $165,600 - $331,200

About The Position

Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) powers Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure and supports online businesses and the Azure platform. Its Compute Silicon & Manufacturing Engineering organization designs, develops, manufactures, and packages computer chips, including Azure Cobalt. The organization works to deliver cloud hardware at scale with high quality, on time, and at low cost, while improving planning, quality, delivery, and sustainability.

Microsoft is seeking a Principal Physical Design Engineer to support silicon design. The role owns and executes physical design implementation from RTL through GDS, including end-to-end physical design flows and signoff. It leads clock construction and CTS, explores methodologies to optimize SoC blocks, and collaborates with cross-functional engineering teams and partners. The engineer also influences tools, flows, and methodologies through data-driven analysis, communicates project status and plans, and demonstrates technical leadership and Microsoft’s core values.

The position requires meeting Microsoft Cloud Background Check requirements and may involve access to export-controlled information. Candidates must provide qualifying citizenship, residency, or other protected-status documentation, with citizenship verified by a valid passport where applicable.

Requirements

• Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field and 7+ years of technical engineering experience; or a master's degree in one of these fields and 10+ years of experience; or a bachelor's degree in one of these fields and 12+ years of experience; or equivalent experience.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
• For access to export-controlled information, provide proof of citizenship, U.S. residency, or other protected status as required; citizenship may be verified with a valid passport.

Nice To Haves

• Track record implementing designs through synthesis, floorplanning, place and route, extraction, timing, and physical verification.
• 20+ years of experience in physical design.
• Production silicon tape-out experience in advanced foundry process nodes.
• Experience with low-power design methodology for SoCs.
• Understanding of SoC or subsystem design trade-offs across power, performance, and area (PPA).
• Familiarity with clock construction strategies for high-speed designs.
• Technical expertise across physical design, from synthesis through place and route and signoff, including timing signoff, physical verification, EMIR signoff, formal equivalence, and low-power verification.
• Experience owning complete physical design execution of medium- to large-size SoC blocks, with hands-on individual-contributor technical ownership and cross-team collaboration.
• Ability to partner with PD flow/CAD and methodology teams to identify and resolve PD TFM issues.
• Problem-solving and data-analysis skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute end-to-end physical design flows from synthesis through place-and-route for multiple designs, completing signoff stages including timing, physical verification, EMIR, formal equivalence, and low-power verification.
• Own clock construction and clock tree synthesis (CTS).
• Drive methodology exploration to optimize SoC blocks for clock construction and related methodologies.
• Coordinate with CAD, RTL/design, DFT, architecture, power and performance, technology, and other internal and external partners.
• Own RTL-to-GDS implementation in the physical design domain.
• Influence design tools, flows, and methodologies for construction, signoff, and optimization using a data-driven approach.
• Foster collaboration across teams and demonstrate technical leadership across physical design domains.
• Communicate project status and planning clearly.
• Demonstrate Microsoft core values, including customer focus, adaptability, collaboration, growth mindset, drive for results, influence for impact, judgment, and diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

• Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation; additional information is available through Microsoft’s careers pay and benefits page.

What This Job Offers

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