1

Contract Physical Design Engineer Jobs in California

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII.","responsibilities":"Generate ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII.","responsibilities":"Your ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII. Your responsibilities include ...

Physical Design Engineer Etched is looking for exceptional PD engineers to join our team. The candidate will be responsible for working with 3rd party design services to implement and verify physical ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII. Your responsibilities include ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII.","responsibilities":"Your ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII.","responsibilities":"Your ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII.","responsibilities":"Generate ...

Physical Design Engineer Etched is looking for exceptional PD engineers to join our team. The candidate will be responsible for working with 3rd party design services to implement and verify physical ...

Physical Design Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$184.70 - $324.80/hr

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII. Your responsibilities include ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII. Your responsibilities include ...

Description As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII. Your responsibilities include ...

Physical Design Engineer

Bodega Bay, CA · On-site

$180K - $230K/yr

We're looking for a hands-on Physical Design Engineer to support complex SoC projects for our client who designs and delivers advanced System-on-Chip solutions across multiple emerging technologies.

Physical Design Engineer

Bodega Bay, CA · On-site

$161K - $166K/yr

We're looking for a hands-on Physical Design Engineer to support complex SoC projects for our client who designs and delivers advanced System-on-Chip solutions across multiple emerging technologies.

Physical Design Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$145K - $150K/yr

Physical design engineers are ideally creative, motivated, energetic, pleasant to work with, and put the needs of the team first. These candidates will be responsible for designs and test structures ...

Physical Design Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$144K - $148K/yr

Job Overview: The Graphics team is looking for Experienced Physical Design Engineers to work on Adreno Graphics cores in the area of Physical Implementation. Responsibilities: The Physical ...

Physical Design Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$162K - $166K/yr

Physical Design Engineer Location: Sunnyvale, CA Note: Highlighted skills are must to have. JD: • 10+ years of hands-on experience for block level Implementation activities(Netlist to GDS II and ...

Physical Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150K - $275K/yr

Job Summary Etched is looking for exceptional Physical Design engineers to join our team. In this role, you will own block-level implementation and verification, drive timing closure and PPA ...

Showing results 21-40

Contract Physical Design Engineer information

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a contract physical design engineer?

A Contract Physical Design Engineer typically requires a solid background in electrical engineering, strong knowledge of VLSI design, and hands-on experience with ASIC or FPGA physical implementation. Familiarity with EDA tools such as Synopsys ICC2, Cadence Innovus, and scripting languages like Tcl and Perl, as well as understanding of industry standards, is crucial. Standout soft skills include strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication for collaborating with cross-functional teams. These skills ensure the engineer can deliver optimized, manufacturable chip layouts on time and within specification, which is vital for project and product success.

What is a contract physical design engineer?

Contract Physical Design Engineers are professionals who specialize in the layout and implementation of integrated circuits (ICs) for semiconductor devices, typically working on a temporary or project-based basis. They focus on transforming circuit designs into physical layouts that can be fabricated on silicon chips, ensuring optimal performance, power, and area efficiency. Their work involves tasks such as floorplanning, placement, routing, timing analysis, and design rule checking. Contract roles allow companies flexibility in staffing for specific projects or peak development periods, and engineers in these positions often work for consulting firms or as independent contractors.

What are some common challenges faced by contract physical design engineers when joining new projects or teams?

Contract Physical Design Engineers often need to quickly adapt to new workflows, proprietary tools, and unique design methodologies used by different clients or teams. They may also face tight project timelines and the need to rapidly understand complex chip architectures. Effective communication and collaboration with cross-functional teams, such as verification and RTL design engineers, are critical to ensure design hand-offs and resolve issues efficiently. Flexibility, strong organizational skills, and a proactive approach to learning new environments are key to overcoming these challenges.
What are the most commonly searched types of Physical Design Engineer jobs in California? The most popular types of Physical Design Engineer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Contract Physical Design Engineer jobs in California? For Contract Physical Design Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Contract Physical Design Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Contract Physical Design Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Contract Physical Design Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Contract Physical Design Engineer job openings:
Infographic showing various Contract Physical Design Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Physical Design Engineer

Apple

Cupertino, CA

$129K - $225K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement

Re-posted 12 days ago


Apple rating

8.0

Company rating: 8.0 out of 10

Based on 677 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

7th of 30 rated technology retailers


Job description

At Apple we work every single day to craft products that enrich people’s lives. Do you love working on challenges that no one has solved yet? Do you like changing the game? We have an opportunity for a forward-thinking and unusually hardworking Physical Design Engineer. As a member of our wide-ranging group, you will have the rare and great opportunity to craft upcoming products that will delight and encourage millions of Apple’s customers every single day. In this role, we will be at the center of a PHY design effort working with architecture, CAD, timing and logic design teams, with a critical impact on delivering outstanding PHY designs. You will be required to do physical designs of outstanding PHY design.
Description
As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII.","responsibilities":"Generate block/chip level static timing constraints.
Build full chip floor-plan including pin placement, partitions and power grid. Develop and validate high performance low power clock network guidelines.
Perform block level place and route and close the design to meet timing, area and power constraints.
Generate and Implement ECOs to fix timing, noise and EM IR violations.
Run Physical Design verification flow at chip/block level and provide guidelines to fix LVS/DRC violations to other designers.
Participate in establishing CAD and physical design methodologies for correct by construction designs.
Assist in flow development for chip integration.
Preferred Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have deep design experience in high PHY and/or SOC designs.
Deep Knowledge about industry standards and practices in Physical Design, including Physically aware synthesis, Floor-planning, and Place & Route.
Experience in developing and implementing Power-grid and Clock specifications.
Strong understanding of all aspects of Physical construction, Integration and Physical Verification.
Shown Knowledge of Basic SoC Architecture and HDL languages like Verilog to be able with logic design team for timing fixes Power user of industry standard Physical Design & Synthesis tools.
Deep Understanding of scripting languages such as Perl/Tcl, solid understanding of Extraction and STA methodology and tools.
Deep Understanding of Physical Design Verification methodology to debug LVS/DRC issues at chip/block level.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Pay & Benefits
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $129,300 and $225,300, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

What Apple employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom


Apple logo

About Apple

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Imagine what you could do here! At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Dynamic, intelligent people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. The people who work here have reinvented entire industries with all Apple Hardware products. The same real passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices strengthening our dedication to leave the world better than we found it.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Cupertino, CA, US

Year founded

1976