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Pd Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Etched

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$2.0K/mo

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 ...

Etched

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$2.0K/mo

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 ...

Efficient Computer

Physical Design - CAD Lead

San Jose, CA · On-site

$180K - $220K/yr

Work closely with PD team leads to propose and develop end to end build and signoff flows. * Build regression frameworks for ensuring high quality flows and achieve hardware engineering vision of ...

Apple

Hardware Associate Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA

$123K - $218K/yr

Partnering with Product Design (PD) engineers on the fabrication and assembly of custom test fixtures. Benchmarking off-the-shelf (OTS) hardware using lab test benches alongside our software, EE, and ...

Fictiv

Director of MRO and PD Services

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$175K - $190K/yr

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, or related field; MBA preferred * 10+ years of ... MRO and PD service revenue growth and profitability * Customer retention and satisfaction scores

Apple

Product Design Engineer - Audio Fit

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$159K - $191K/yr

Our Audio Product Design (PD) team creates innovations that enhance music enjoyment, optimize ... You will work with research, design, and engineering teams to create architectures that meet ...

Etched

Physical Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150K - $275K/yr

Running PD flows to close blocks, support ASIC infrastructure, automate PD flows, improve CAD ... Familiarity with AI tools for programming/coding * Startup experience or comfort working in fast ...

Etched

PD Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is ... Familiarity with clocking and reset schemes (RTL/PD) * UVM or formal verification experience (DV)

Etched

PD Intern

San Jose, CA · On-site

Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is ... Familiarity with clocking and reset schemes (RTL/PD) * UVM or formal verification experience (DV ...

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All JobsPd Engineer JobsPd Engineer Jobs in California

Pd Engineer information

See California salary details

$37.5K

$114.3K

$189K

How much do pd engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 20, 2026, the average yearly pay for pd engineer in California is $114,347.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $81,900.00 and $149,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What engineers make $200,000 a year?

Senior engineers in fields such as software engineering, petroleum engineering, and aerospace engineering often earn $200,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, specialized skills, and working in high-demand industries or locations. Roles requiring advanced certifications, leadership responsibilities, or working for large corporations tend to have higher compensation levels.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Senior engineering roles such as petroleum engineers, software engineers in high-paying tech companies, and specialized roles like aerospace or nuclear engineers can reach or exceed $500,000 annually with experience, bonuses, and stock options. These positions often require advanced skills, certifications, and working in high-cost-of-living regions or companies with lucrative compensation packages.

What are some common challenges faced by a Pd Engineer when collaborating with cross-functional teams during the product development cycle?

Pd Engineers often work closely with design, manufacturing, and quality assurance teams to bring products from concept to production. One common challenge is ensuring clear communication and alignment on technical requirements, as each team may have different priorities and constraints. Balancing innovation with manufacturability and cost-effectiveness can require creative problem-solving and frequent negotiation. Additionally, Pd Engineers must be adaptable to changes in project scope and timelines, which can arise from evolving customer needs or technical obstacles. Developing strong interpersonal and project management skills is key to overcoming these challenges and delivering successful products.

What does a PD engineer do?

A PD engineer, or Product Development engineer, designs, develops, and tests new products or improvements to existing products. They work closely with cross-functional teams, utilize engineering tools, and often require knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, and quality standards to bring products from concept to production.

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

To thrive as a PD (Physical Design) Engineer, you need a solid background in electronic engineering, digital design principles, and semiconductor physics, usually supported by a relevant bachelor’s or master’s degree. Familiarity with EDA tools such as Cadence, Synopsys, and Mentor Graphics, as well as experience with scripting languages like TCL or Python, is essential. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills help set standout PD Engineers apart. These skills are crucial for optimizing chip layouts, ensuring manufacturability, and collaborating efficiently in the fast-paced semiconductor industry.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior engineers in fields such as software engineering, petroleum engineering, and certain specialized roles like data engineering or machine learning engineering can earn $300,000 or more annually, especially with experience, advanced skills, and in high-demand industries. These roles often require advanced degrees, certifications, and expertise in specific tools or technologies.

What is the difference between Pd Engineer vs Process Engineer?

AspectPd EngineerProcess Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or related engineering; often requires experience in R&DBachelor's degree in Chemical, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering; may require process-specific certifications
Work EnvironmentLaboratories, R&D centers, manufacturing facilitiesManufacturing plants, production lines, plant floor
Employer & Industry UsagePharmaceutical, chemical, electronics industriesChemical, manufacturing, oil & gas industries
Common Search & Comparison IntentYesYes

While both Pd Engineers and Process Engineers work within manufacturing and chemical industries, Pd Engineers focus on developing and improving chemical processes, often in R&D settings. Process Engineers typically oversee the day-to-day operation of manufacturing processes, ensuring efficiency and safety. The roles overlap in industry and credentials but differ in focus and work environment.

What are PD Engineers?

PD Engineers, or Physical Design Engineers, are professionals in the semiconductor industry who are responsible for translating circuit designs into actual hardware layouts on silicon chips. They work on tasks such as floorplanning, placement, routing, timing analysis, and ensuring the chip meets performance, power, and area requirements. PD Engineers use electronic design automation (EDA) tools to optimize the physical implementation of integrated circuits and collaborate closely with design and verification teams to ensure manufacturability and quality. Their work is crucial in the development of modern electronic devices, from smartphones to computers.
What are popular job titles related to Pd Engineer jobs in California? For Pd Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Pd Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Pd Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Pd Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Pd Engineer job openings:
Pd Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Pd Engineer job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 4% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,347 per year, or $55 per hour.

Physical Design Engineer

Etched

Cupertino, CA • On-site

$2.0K/mo

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Re-posted 27 days ago

Job description

About Etched
Etched is building AI chips that are hard-coded for individual model architectures. Our first product (Sohu) only supports transformers, but has an order of magnitude more throughput and lower latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep chain-of-thought reasoning.
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 designs, and will help Etched as we work to improve iteration speed on physical design.
Representative projects:
  • Supervise the outsourcing of physical design to a 3rd party service
  • Deeply understand what is involved in physical design
  • Running Physical Design flows to close blocks, support ASIC infrastructure, automate Physical Design flows, improve CAD infrastructure
  • Drive dashboards that show the convergence of projects related to Physical Design
  • Optimize tool flows, working with EDA vendors to incorporate the latest features
  • Accountable for block level closure

Requirements:
  • 2+ years of previous experience with PD
  • Tools, flow, and design methodology from RTL synthesis to GDSII sign-off
  • Experience with back-end design and timing closure on 3nm-7nm
  • Experience with UPF-based low power design methodology, power verification, synthesis, scan insertion/ATPG, formal verification, floorplanning, placement, CTS, routing, IR drop, and EM/antenna analysis
  • Deeply creative and able to think from first principles

Desired qualifications:
  • Familiarity with transformer models and machine learning.
  • Familiarity with OpenROAD and other automated RTL-to-GDSII flows
  • Ability to program with Python or another scripting language.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification.
How we're different:
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in Cupertino, 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 as needed.
Benefits:
  • Full medical, dental, and vision packages, with 100% of premium covered, 90% for dependents
  • Housing subsidy of $2,000/month for those living within walking distance of the office
  • Daily lunch and dinner in our office
  • Relocation support for those moving to Cupertino

Apply