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Pd Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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 ...

The Consensus

Physical Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$180 - $240/hr

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

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 ...

Efficient Computer

Lead STA Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

Proficiency with industry-grade physical design flow and hands-on building CAD flow infrastructure for PD engineers. * Definition of design constraints for static timing analysis (synthesis, pre/post ...

Astera Labs

Principal Digital Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$159K/yr

Hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer ... Code and deliver high-quality RTL to the PD and DV teams. * Collaborate with the DSP Architecture ...

Apple

Audio Products, Product Design EPM

Cupertino, CA

$175K - $311K/yr

As a Product Design Engineering Program Manager (PD EPM) you will be responsible for the technical management of the development and implementation process for the mechanical components of one of our ...

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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 Aug 10, 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 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 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 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 is a Pd engineer?

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 August 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 5% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,347 per year, or $55 per hour.

Physical Design Engineer

Etched

San Jose, CA • On-site

$150K - $275K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Re-posted 27 days 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 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 optimization, supervise 3rd party design work, and help improve our design flows and iteration speed.
Key Responsibilities
  • Deeply understand what is involved in physical design
  • Running PD flows to close blocks, support ASIC infrastructure, automate PD flows,
    improve CAD infrastructure
  • Collaborate with RTL Designers and provide Physical Design feedback to improve PPA
  • Drive dashboards that show the convergence of projects related to PD
  • Optimize tool flows, working with EDA vendors to incorporate the latest features
  • Accountable for block level closure
  • Supervise the outsourcing of physical design to a 3rd party service

You may be a good fit if you have
  • 5-10+ 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 advanced process nodes (5nm
    and below)
  • Experience with Cadence (Innovus, Genus) or Synopsys (ICC2, Fusion Compiler)
    automated RTL-to-GDSII flows
  • Experience with sign-off tools (PrimeTime, Tempus, Voltus, etc.)
  • 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

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 + 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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