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Entry Level Physical Design Engineer Jobs in Seattle, WA

SpaceX

EDA Engineer (RFIC Engineering)

Redmond, WA · On-site

Support day-to-day EDA/CAD workflows for RFIC and silicon engineering teams, including tool launch, environment setup, PDK usage, simulation, physical verification, extraction, and related Linux ...

SpaceX

EDA Engineer (RFIC Engineering)

Redmond, WA · On-site

Support day-to-day EDA/CAD workflows for RFIC and silicon engineering teams, including tool launch, environment setup, PDK usage, simulation, physical verification, extraction, and related Linux ...

Amazon

FPGA Engineer, Amazon LEO OISL

Redmond, WA · On-site

$145K - $187K/yr

... design engineer will work with systems teams to define/develop/implement/test/release FPGA based ... RTL Design-Physical Implementation-Timing Closure-Simulation Validation- Lab Based Silicon ...

Amazon

FPGA Engineer, Amazon LEO OISL

Redmond, WA

$145K - $187K/yr

... design engineer will work with systems teams to define/develop/implement/test/release FPGA based ... RTL Design-Physical Implementation-Timing Closure-Simulation Validation- Lab Based Silicon ...

HDR

Substation Engineer

Seattle, WA

$112K - $142K/yr

HDR Engineering is looking for a Substation Project Engineer to join our growing and nationally ... Understands physical substation design including yard layouts, plans, sections and details ...

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All JobsPhysical Design Engineer JobsEntry Level Physical Design Engineer JobsEntry Level Physical Design Engineer Jobs in Seattle, WA

Entry Level Physical Design Engineer information

See Seattle, WA salary details

$34.1K

$78.9K

$134.3K

How much do entry level physical design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level physical design engineer in Seattle, WA is $78,936.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $58,600.00 and $89,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an entry level physical design engineer do?

An Entry Level Physical Design Engineer works on the layout and implementation of integrated circuits (ICs), specifically focusing on translating logical circuit designs into physical layouts that can be manufactured. Their responsibilities often include tasks such as floorplanning, placement, routing, timing analysis, and design rule checking using specialized software tools. They collaborate with other engineers to ensure that the chip meets performance, power, and area requirements. Entry-level engineers are typically involved in supporting more experienced team members while learning industry-standard design flows and tools. This role plays a crucial part in bringing new electronic products to market.

What are some common challenges entry level physical design engineers face when transitioning from academic projects to industry roles?

Entry Level Physical Design Engineers often find that real-world projects are larger in scale and complexity compared to academic assignments. Adapting to industry-standard tools like Cadence or Synopsys, managing strict deadlines, and collaborating within multidisciplinary teams can be challenging at first. Additionally, understanding and following established workflows, as well as dealing with the nuances of process technology and design constraints, require a steep learning curve. However, many companies provide mentorship and training to help new engineers integrate smoothly and develop their expertise.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an entry level physical design engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Physical Design Engineer, you need a solid background in electrical engineering, digital logic design, and VLSI concepts, typically supported by a relevant bachelor’s or master’s degree. Familiarity with industry-standard tools like Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor Graphics for layout, synthesis, and verification, as well as scripting languages such as TCL or Python, is essential. Strong problem-solving, teamwork, and attention to detail are standout soft skills for this role. These skills ensure the efficient translation of circuit designs into manufacturable layouts, driving successful chip development and collaboration in complex engineering environments.

What is the difference between Entry Level Physical Design Engineer vs Digital IC Design Engineer?

AspectEntry Level Physical Design EngineerDigital IC Design Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's in Electrical Engineering or Computer EngineeringBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering
Work EnvironmentDesign teams, CAD tools, chip fabrication facilitiesDesign teams, simulation tools, hardware labs
Industry UsageFoundries, semiconductor companies, EDA firmsSemiconductor companies, integrated circuit design firms
Common Search IntentEntry level, physical implementation, chip layoutDigital logic, circuit design, RTL coding

Entry Level Physical Design Engineers focus on translating digital circuit designs into physical layouts, ensuring manufacturability and performance. Digital IC Design Engineers primarily work on designing digital circuits at the RTL level. While both roles require a background in electrical engineering and involve working with semiconductor companies, physical design emphasizes layout and fabrication, whereas digital design emphasizes circuit functionality and logic.

What are the most commonly searched types of Physical Design Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA? The most popular types of Physical Design Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA are:
What are popular job titles related to Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA? For Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA look for? The top searched job categories for Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs in Seattle, WA are:
What cities near Seattle, WA are hiring for Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs? Cities near Seattle, WA with the most Entry Level Physical Design Engineer job openings:
Entry Level Physical Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Physical Design Engineer job openings in Seattle, WA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 76% Full Time, 19% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $78,936 per year, or $38 per hour.

EDA Engineer (RFIC Engineering)

SpaceX

Redmond, WA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 25 days ago

SpaceX rating

8.8

Company rating: 8.8 out of 10

Based on 147 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

15th of 72 rated aerospace companies

Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
EDA ENGINEER (RFIC ENGINEERING)
At SpaceX we're leveraging our experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy Starlink, the world's most advanced broadband internet system. Starlink is the world's largest satellite constellation and is providing fast, reliable internet to millions of users worldwide. We design, build, test, and operate all parts of the system - thousands of satellites, consumer receivers that allow users to connect within minutes of unboxing, and the software that brings it all together. We've only begun to scratch the surface of Starlink's potential global impact and are looking for best-in-class engineers to help maximize Starlink's utility for communities and businesses around the globe.
We are seeking a motivated, hands-on, proactive, and intellectually curious EDA Engineer to help support and improve the IC design environment used by silicon design, layout, verification, physical design, and methodology teams. The role focuses on keeping EDA tools reliable, PDK and flow usage reproducible, and designers productive across analog/RF/mixed-signal and digital silicon workflows.
This is a growth-oriented role for an engineer with strong fundamentals in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, Linux, scripting, or IC design tools. The engineer will partner design teams, other EDA engineers, IT/server teams, foundries, and EDA vendors to triage production issues, improve tool flows, build lightweight automation, maintain documentation, and convert repeated support issues into reusable methodology.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Support day-to-day EDA/CAD workflows for RFIC and silicon engineering teams, including tool launch, environment setup, PDK usage, simulation, physical verification, extraction, and related Linux workflows
  • Support analog/RF/mixed-signal specific flows (Virtuoso, Spectre, EM tools, etc.) in addition to digital and physical verification flows
  • Assist with PDK installation, qualification, version tracking, release notes, and deployment support for supported foundry processes
  • Triage DRC, LVS, PEX, simulation, EM, license, HPC, and environment issues using reproducible debug practices: command, log path, tool version, PDK version, run directory, expected result, actual result, and reproduce status
  • Maintain and improve tool launch wrappers, setup scripts, environment modules, path configuration, project templates, and onboarding material
  • Build lightweight automation in Python, Tcl, SKILL, shell, Perl, Makefile, or similar languages for log collection, preflight checks, license/tool health checks, regression reporting, and recurring issue reduction
  • Create and run targeted QA tests for PDK updates, tool upgrades, wrapper changes, vendor patches, and flow changes before broad deployment
  • Maintain clear runbooks and Confluence documentation for common EDA flows, including DRC/LVS/PEX debug, Cadence/Virtuoso setup, simulation setup, HPC job submission, license issues, and common user errors
  • Partner with design, layout, verification, physical design, IT/HPC, foundry, and EDA vendor teams to resolve blocked flows and improve methodology robustness
  • Identify recurring support patterns and help convert one-off fixes into durable flow changes, documentation, automation, or vendor/IT escalations
  • Support configuration-management and data-management workflows, such as Perforce, Cliosoft, or similar systems, as needed for silicon design teams
  • Contribute to modern EDA workflow improvements, including AI-assisted log triage, rule-deck validation, issue classification, signoff reporting, and designer self-service tools under senior guidance

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science
  • 2+ years of experience in EDA/CAD support, IC design flow development, silicon design, physical verification, verification infrastructure, and/or CAD automation

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
  • Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related technical field; or equivalent practical experience
  • Hands-on experience using or supporting at least one major EDA flow, such as Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre, Siemens Calibre, Synopsys/Cadence digital tools, Keysight ADS, EMX/HFSS, or similar tools
  • Practical Linux and scripting experience with Python, shell, Tcl, Perl, Makefile, SKILL, or similar languages
  • Ability to independently triage well-scoped user issues, own small flow improvements, document resolutions, and escalate with clear evidence when needed
  • Experience with Cadence Virtuoso, ADE Explorer/Assembler, Spectre, SKILL, design libraries, CDF, techfiles, display resources, or analog/RF/mixed-signal design flows
  • Experience with Siemens Calibre DRC/LVS/PEX/xRC, Synopsys ICV/StarRC, Cadence Pegasus/Quantus, or related physical verification/extraction tools
  • Exposure to PDK installation, PDK QA, foundry design-rule manuals, rule decks, model files, LVS mapping, extraction setup, or PDK release management
  • Exposure to digital design and verification flows such as simulation, regressions, synthesis, STA, power analysis, formal/lint, or regression infrastructure
  • Familiarity with HPC environments, job schedulers such as Slurm or LSF, license servers, FlexNet, Linux modules, wrappers, NFS/storage, and shared compute systems
  • Ability to write clean scripts, parse logs, build sanity checks, and turn repeated errors into automated preflight checks or user-facing runbooks
  • Interest in AI/LLM-assisted EDA workflows, including log triage, runbook retrieval, flow diagnostics, test generation, and signoff report automation

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
  • Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support meeting critical milestones

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
Level 1: $125,000.00 - $150,000.00
Level 2: $145,000.00 - $175,000.00
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees in Washington State accrue paid sick time in compliance with state and federal law. Company shuttles are offered to employees for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the SpaceX Redmond office Monday to Friday.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
  • To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX's Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.

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About SpaceX

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Industry

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing, data services, guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing and satellite telecommunications

Company size

1,001 - 5,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Hawthorne, CA, US

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