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Chip Manufacturing Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

nEye.ai

Director of Finance

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$192K - $274K/yr

Solid understanding of semiconductor operations, wafer/chip manufacturing flows, inventory costing, and supply chain logistics. * Advanced proficiency in Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel and AI Tools.

nEye.ai

Director of Finance

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$192K - $274K/yr

Solid understanding of semiconductor operations, wafer/chip manufacturing flows, inventory costing, and supply chain logistics. * Advanced proficiency in Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel and AI Tools.

Fab2

Software Engineer, Backend

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$125 - $195/hr

The work on this team spans frontend, backend, and data, all focused on making the fab programmable, observable, and easy to operate as we push toward a fully software‑defined chip manufacturing ...

Fab2

Software Engineer, Backend

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$125K - $195K/yr

The work on this team spans frontend, backend, and data, all focused on making the fab programmable, observable, and easy to operate as we push toward a fully software-defined chip manufacturing ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsChip Manufacturing JobsChip Manufacturing Jobs in California

Chip Manufacturing information

See California salary details

$30.1K

$96.3K

$151.5K

How much do chip manufacturing jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for chip manufacturing in California is $96,278.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $77,000.00 and $118,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a chip manufacturing job?

A Chip Manufacturing job involves overseeing the production of semiconductor chips used in electronic devices. It includes roles in wafer fabrication, process engineering, quality control, and equipment maintenance. Workers operate specialized machinery in cleanroom environments to ensure precision and efficiency. These jobs require knowledge of semiconductor materials, manufacturing processes, and industry standards. Chip manufacturing professionals play a vital role in advancing technology by improving chip performance and production efficiency.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in chip manufacturing?

To thrive in chip manufacturing, you need a solid background in electronics, semiconductor processes, and quality control, often supported by a degree in engineering or a related technical field. Familiarity with cleanroom protocols, wafer fabrication equipment, and industry systems such as SEM (scanning electron microscopy) or lithography tools is critical. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective teamwork are highly valued soft skills in this environment. These competencies ensure that chip production meets rigorous quality standards, minimizes defects, and maintains efficiency in a highly technical and collaborative setting.

What are some typical challenges faced in chip manufacturing roles?

Chip manufacturing professionals often face challenges such as maintaining high yields while minimizing defects, adapting to rapidly evolving technology, and adhering to strict cleanroom procedures. The work environment is highly controlled and can involve repetitive tasks, precise measurements, and troubleshooting complex equipment. Collaboration with engineering, quality assurance, and maintenance teams is common, requiring strong communication and coordination skills. Overcoming these challenges not only ensures the production of reliable chips but also provides valuable hands-on experience that can lead to advancement within the semiconductor industry.

How to work in chip manufacturing?

To work in chip manufacturing, candidates typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, with many roles requiring technical training or an associate degree in electronics, materials science, or a related field. Skills in cleanroom procedures, understanding of semiconductor fabrication processes, and familiarity with tools like photolithography equipment are important. Certifications such as IPC standards or specialized training can improve job prospects, and attention to detail and safety are critical in this environment.

What are the most commonly searched types of Chip Manufacturing jobs in California?

The most popular types of Chip Manufacturing jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Chip Manufacturing jobs in California?

For Chip Manufacturing jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Chip Manufacturing jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Chip Manufacturing jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Chip Manufacturing jobs?

Cities in California with the most Chip Manufacturing job openings:

Chip Manufacturing jobs near you
Infographic showing various Chip Manufacturing job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $96,278 per year, or $46.3 per hour.

Physical Design Engineer - Full Chip Implementation

Etched

San Jose, CA • On-site

$190 - $270/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision

Re-posted 21 hours ago

Job description

About Etched

Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.

Job Summary

Etched is building a new category of AI hardware: frontier inference clusters. As a top-level PD engineer, you will own full-chip implementation—encompassing floorplanning, P&R, clocking, timing analysis, physical verification, and sign-offs from synthesis through to GDSII completion. You will lead critical efforts in these areas, leveraging our PD flows to drive aggressive PPA optimization and timing closure. You will collaborate closely with RTL designers to provide actionable feedback, ensuring we iterate at unprecedented speeds to bring our products to market.

Key Responsibilities

  • Own full-chip clocking across all PVT corners and modes.

  • Manage MMMC (Multi-Mode Multi-Corner) timing closure at the top level.

  • Own timing constraints and hierarchical timing budgeting between top level and blocks.

  • Drive functional and timing ECO closure and achieve final timing signoff for tapeout.

  • Own end-to-end physical verification closure at block, sub-system, and full-chip level across DRC, LVS, ERC, antenna, density, fill, and top-level integration.

  • Debug complex PV violations across layout, routing, macros, IP, power grid, rule decks, and tool or setup issues, and fix violations directly in layout using Innovus.

  • Build a repeatable, tapeout-ready PV methodology with clean runs, waiver discipline, version control, triage, and final signoff reviews.

You may be a good fit if you have

  • 10+ years of previous experience with chip planning, top level PD, floorplanning

  • Experience with top-level and full-chip closure on advanced process nodes (5nm and below)

  • Experience with Cadence (Innovus, Genus) or Synopsys (Fusion Compiler) automated RTL-to-GDSII flows

  • Experience with Synopsys PrimeTime and Cadence Tempus for timing signoff

  • Experience with Pegasus or Calibre for physical verification signoff

  • Experience with hierarchical timing budgeting, constraint management, and ECO closure

  • Experience with Cadence Innovus for top-level assembly, routing, and layout fixes

  • Deeply creative and able to think from first principles

Strong candidates may also have experience with

  • Familiarity with modern ML and LLM model architectures

  • Ability to program with Python or another scripting language

  • Familiarity with AI tools for programming/coding

  • Startup experience or comfort working in fast-paced environments

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage

  • $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits

  • Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office

  • Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)

  • Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more

  • Daily lunch and dinner in our office

  • Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification

How we’re different

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system, betting early on transformer and transformer-like architectures and on increasing model sizes. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.

We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.

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