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Physical Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Beaverton, OR

$141.50K - $145.70K/yr

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 ...

Baya Systems

Physical Design Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$159.70K - $164.40K/yr

Physical Design Engineer Location: Santa Clara, CA About the role: We are seeking a seasoned Physical Design Engineer with a strong background in all aspects of Physical Design and Implementation ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$167.80K - $172.70K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Beaverton, OR · On-site

$141.50K - $145.70K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$167.80K - $172.70K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$167.80K - $172.70K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$160.20K - $164.90K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$167.80K - $172.70K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$160.20K - $164.90K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Bodega Bay, CA

$257.40K - $386.30K/yr

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 ...

Etched

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA

$2K/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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA

$126.80K - $220.90K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA

$181.10K - $318.40K/yr

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 ...

Etched

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$2K/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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$160.20K - $164.90K/yr

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 ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$160.20K - $164.90K/yr

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 ...

Baya Systems

Physical Design Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$159.70K - $164.40K/yr

Physical Design Engineer Location: Santa Clara, CA About the role: We are seeking a seasoned Physical Design Engineer with a strong background in all aspects of Physical Design and Implementation ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Bodega Bay, CA

$147.40K - $272.10K/yr

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 ...

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Physical Design information

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$95K

$141.5K

How much do physical design jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for physical design in the United States is $139,408.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $136,000.00 and $140,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

To thrive as a Physical Design Engineer, you need a solid background in electrical engineering, digital circuit design, and VLSI concepts, usually supported by a relevant degree. Proficiency with EDA tools like Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor Graphics, as well as familiarity with scripting languages (e.g., TCL, Perl), is essential. Strong problem-solving, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you address complex design challenges and collaborate within cross-functional teams. These competencies are crucial for optimizing chip layouts, ensuring manufacturability, and meeting performance and timing requirements in semiconductor development.

What are some common challenges faced by Physical Design engineers in meeting timing closure during chip development?

Physical Design engineers often encounter challenges in achieving timing closure due to factors such as increasing circuit complexity, tight power and area constraints, and process variations. Meeting timing goals requires careful floorplanning, placement, and routing, as well as close collaboration with logic design and verification teams to resolve critical path issues. Engineers must also frequently iterate designs and use advanced EDA tools to optimize performance while balancing trade-offs between speed, power, and manufacturability.

What is physical design in the context of electronics and semiconductors?

Physical design refers to the process of transforming a circuit's logical representation into a geometrical layout that can be manufactured on a semiconductor chip. This involves placing and routing the various components, such as transistors and interconnections, while meeting performance, power, and area constraints. Physical design engineers use specialized software tools to optimize the layout and ensure it adheres to manufacturing rules. The process is a critical step in the development of integrated circuits (ICs) and directly impacts the chip’s speed, power consumption, and size.

What is the difference between Physical Design vs Logic Design?

AspectPhysical DesignLogic Design
Primary FocusTranslating logical circuits into physical layoutsCreating logical circuit schematics and functional specifications
Skills RequiredEDA tools, layout constraints, circuit optimizationHardware description languages, digital logic, circuit theory
Work EnvironmentASIC/FPGA design teams, semiconductor companiesDesign teams, electronic design automation (EDA) environments
CertificationsTypically none specific, but EDA tool proficiency is valuedHardware description language certifications (e.g., VHDL, Verilog)

Physical Design and Logic Design are closely related stages in chip development. Logic Design focuses on creating the logical circuit functions, while Physical Design involves implementing those functions into physical layouts on silicon. Both roles require knowledge of digital circuits, but Physical Design emphasizes layout optimization and tool proficiency, whereas Logic Design centers on circuit behavior and description.

More about Physical Design jobs
What cities are hiring for Physical Design jobs? Cities with the most Physical Design job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Physical Design jobs? The most popular types of Physical Design jobs are:
What states have the most Physical Design jobs? States with the most job openings for Physical Design jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Physical Design jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Physical Design jobs are:
Physical Design jobs near you
Infographic showing various Physical Design job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 60% Full Time, 37% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $139,408 per year, or $67 per hour.
Physical Design Engineer

Physical Design Engineer

Apple

Beaverton, OR

$141.50K - $145.70K/yr

Full-time

Posted 10 days ago

Apple rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 661 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

6th 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. Your responsibilities include but are not limited to: 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 and 10 years experience preferred.

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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

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