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Director Emulation Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Marvell

Principal Emulation Engineer

Irvine, CA · On-site

Experience with writing a detailed test plan and building a sophisticated, directed, random ... Good programming skills desired, especially C++ and ARM assembly. Understanding of networking ...

Marvell

Principal Emulation Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

Experience with writing a detailed test plan and building a sophisticated, directed, random ... Good programming skills desired, especially C++ and ARM assembly. Understanding of networking ...

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Director Emulation Engineer information

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$59.5K

$111.6K

$203K

How much do director emulation engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for director emulation engineer in the United States is $111,632.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $80,500.00 and $132,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Director Emulation Engineer, and why are they important?

To excel as a Director Emulation Engineer, you need deep expertise in hardware verification, emulation methodologies, and a solid background in electrical or computer engineering, often with an advanced degree. Familiarity with industry-standard tools like Cadence Palladium, Synopsys ZeBu, or Mentor Veloce, as well as experience with scripting languages and EDA workflows, is essential. Leadership, strategic thinking, and effective communication distinguish top performers by enabling them to guide teams and coordinate complex projects. These skills ensure efficient verification cycles, high-quality silicon development, and successful cross-functional collaboration in fast-paced semiconductor environments.

What are some common challenges faced by a Director Emulation Engineer when leading emulation projects?

A Director Emulation Engineer often navigates challenges such as aligning cross-functional teams, managing resource allocation, and ensuring timely delivery of complex emulation solutions. Balancing the technical intricacies of hardware and software integration while meeting aggressive project timelines is frequently required. Additionally, keeping up with evolving emulation technologies and fostering team expertise are critical to maintaining project success and supporting innovation.

What does a Director Emulation Engineer do?

A Director Emulation Engineer oversees the development and implementation of hardware emulation systems used to test and validate the functionality of semiconductor designs before they are manufactured. This role involves managing a team of engineers, setting technical direction, and ensuring that emulation platforms meet project and company requirements. Responsibilities also include collaborating with design, verification, and software teams to optimize workflows and improve overall productivity. The Director Emulation Engineer plays a critical role in reducing time-to-market and ensuring design quality in the semiconductor industry.

What is the difference between Director Emulation Engineer vs Senior Emulation Engineer?

AspectDirector Emulation EngineerSenior Emulation Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science, possibly with leadership experienceBachelor's/Master's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science, with extensive emulation experience
Work EnvironmentLeads teams, manages projects, collaborates with multiple departmentsPerforms hands-on emulation design, testing, and optimization
Industry UsageUsed in semiconductor, electronics, and chip design companiesCommonly found in semiconductor and hardware development firms

The main difference is that a Director Emulation Engineer oversees teams and projects, focusing on strategic leadership, while a Senior Emulation Engineer primarily handles technical tasks and hands-on emulation work. Both roles require strong technical skills, but the director position emphasizes management and coordination.

More about Director Emulation Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Director Emulation Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Director Emulation Engineer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Emulation Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Emulation Engineer jobs are:
What states have the most Director Emulation Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Director Emulation Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Director Emulation Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Director Emulation Engineer jobs are:
Director Emulation Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Director Emulation Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 84% Full Time, 12% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $111,632 per year, or $53.7 per hour.

Emulation Engineer

Yoh - A Day & Zimmerman Company

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

$280K/yr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Posted 5 days ago

Job description

Emulation Engineer
Palladium / ASIC / Networking SoC
Overview
This Bay Area startup is developing next-generation Ethernet networking infrastructure optimized for large-scale AI and GPU cluster environments. They are seeking an Emulation Engineer to develop, maintain, and optimize hardware emulation environments for complex networking ASICs and SoCs. This role will focus on accelerating pre-silicon validation, enabling hardware/software integration, and supporting system-level verification using Cadence Palladium.
Responsibilities
  • Develop, configure, and maintain Cadence Palladium emulation environments for complex ASIC and SoC designs.
  • Support design bring-up, hardware/software co-validation, and system-level debug on emulation platforms.
  • Collaborate with RTL, Design Verification, Architecture, and Software teams to enable pre-silicon validation and accelerate product development.
  • Debug emulation compile, runtime, and performance issues while optimizing emulation capacity and throughput.
  • Develop automation and scripting to improve emulation workflows, regression execution, and debug efficiency.
Requirements
  • 5-15 years of ASIC or SoC verification, emulation, or validation experience.
  • Hands-on experience with Cadence Palladium (strongly preferred).
  • Experience supporting hardware emulation, hardware/software co-verification, or pre-silicon validation.
  • Strong understanding of SystemVerilog, UVM, and RTL debug.
  • Experience with networking ASICs, Ethernet, PCIe, or high-speed digital designs.
  • Proficiency with Linux environments and scripting using Python, Perl, TCL, or Shell.
  • BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.
Nice to Have
  • Experience with networking ASICs, Ethernet switch silicon, NICs, RDMA, RoCE, or AI networking fabrics.
  • Experience with additional emulation or prototyping platforms such as ZeBu, Veloce, or FPGA prototyping.
  • Exposure to firmware validation, embedded software bring-up, or hardware/software co-design.
  • Experience improving emulation infrastructure, automation, or regression frameworks.
  • Background from semiconductor, networking, or AI infrastructure companies.

Estimated Min Rate: $180k annually
Estimated Max Rate: $280k annually
What s In It for You?
We welcome you to be a part of the largest and legendary global staffing companies to meet your career aspirations. Yoh s network of client companies has been employing professionals like you for over 65 years in the U.S., UK and Canada. Join Yoh s extensive talent community that will provide you with access to Yoh s vast network of opportunities and gain access to this exclusive opportunity available to you. Benefit eligibility is in accordance with applicable laws and client requirements. Benefits include:
  • Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Benefits (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
  • Life & Disability Insurance (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
  • MetLife Voluntary Benefits
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • 401K Retirement Savings Plan
  • Direct Deposit & weekly epayroll
  • Referral Bonus Programs
  • Certification and training opportunities

Note: Any pay ranges displayed are estimations. Actual pay is determined by an applicant's experience, technical expertise, and other qualifications as listed in the job description. All qualified applicants are welcome to apply.
Yoh, a Day & Zimmermann company, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
Visit ;/strong> to contact us if you are an individual with a disability and require accommodation in the application process.
For California applicants, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. All of the material job duties described in this posting are job duties for which a criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment.
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