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Post Silicon Validation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Broadcom

Post silicon validation engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$108K - $172K/yr

We are seeking a Post-Silicon Validation Engineer to drive the bring-up, characterization, and debugging of our next-generation Ethernet and PCIe Retimer chips . This role heavily focuses on advanced ...

Broadcom, Inc.

Post silicon validation engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$108K - $172K/yr

We are seeking a Post-Silicon Validation Engineer to drive the bring-up, characterization, and debugging of our next-generation Ethernet and PCIe Retimer chips . This role heavily focuses on advanced ...

Broadcom

Post silicon validation engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$108K - $172K/yr

We are seeking a Post-Silicon Validation Engineer to drive the bring-up, characterization, and debugging of our next-generation Ethernet and PCIe Retimer chips . This role heavily focuses on advanced ...

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How much do post silicon validation jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 10, 2026, the average hourly pay for post silicon validation in the United States is $50.45, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $39.66 and $61.30 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Post Silicon Validation vs Silicon Validation Engineer?

AspectPost Silicon ValidationSilicon Validation Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fieldsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields
Work EnvironmentPost-production testing, debugging, and validation on actual silicon chipsPre-silicon testing, simulation, and verification of chip designs
Industry UsagePrimarily after chip fabrication, focusing on real hardwareDuring design phase, before fabrication, focusing on verification
Common Search/ComparisonPost Silicon Validation vs Silicon Validation Engineer

Post Silicon Validation involves testing and validating chips after fabrication to ensure they meet specifications, while Silicon Validation Engineers focus on verifying chip designs before manufacturing. Both roles require similar technical backgrounds but differ in timing, environment, and specific tasks within the chip development lifecycle.

What is Post Silicon Validation?

Post Silicon Validation is the process of testing and verifying a semiconductor chip’s functionality, performance, and reliability after it has been manufactured. This stage is critical because it helps ensure that the hardware operates as intended in real-world conditions, identifying any issues that may not have been detected during pre-silicon simulation or emulation. Engineers use specialized test setups to validate features, diagnose bugs, and work closely with design teams to resolve any defects. Successful post silicon validation helps ensure product quality and reduces the risk of costly recalls or failures after the chip is released to customers.

What does a post-silicon validation engineer do?

A post-silicon validation engineer tests and verifies the functionality and performance of hardware chips after manufacturing. They develop test plans, use debugging tools, and analyze data to identify and resolve issues, ensuring the chip meets design specifications before release.

Are validation engineers in demand?

Validation engineers are in high demand due to the increasing complexity of semiconductor and electronic systems. They are essential for ensuring product quality and reliability, often requiring skills in scripting, testing tools, and industry standards, which contribute to strong job growth in the field.

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

To thrive as a Post Silicon Validation Engineer, you need a solid background in electrical engineering, digital design, and experience with silicon debugging, often supported by a relevant degree. Familiarity with hardware description languages (HDL), lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers), and tools like JTAG, as well as scripting languages such as Python or Perl, is typically required. Attention to detail, strong analytical thinking, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for diagnosing complex issues and collaborating with cross-functional teams. These skills and qualifications are essential to ensuring that silicon chips meet design specifications and function reliably before mass production.

What is the salary of validation engineer in post silicon?

The salary of a post-silicon validation engineer typically ranges from $70,000 to $120,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. Senior roles or those with specialized skills in hardware debugging and verification tools may earn higher compensation. Salaries can also vary based on industry demand and certifications held.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Senior engineers in specialized fields such as silicon validation, hardware engineering, or executive-level roles in technology companies can earn $500,000 or more annually. These positions often require extensive experience, advanced skills, and sometimes leadership responsibilities or stock options.

What are some common challenges faced in Post Silicon Validation, and how can candidates prepare to address them?

Post Silicon Validation engineers often encounter challenges such as debugging complex hardware-software interactions, reproducing intermittent failures, and working with limited documentation or pre-silicon models. To address these, candidates should develop strong problem-solving skills, gain hands-on experience with lab equipment, and become proficient in scripting and automation tools. Collaborating closely with design, firmware, and test teams is also essential to efficiently pinpoint issues and implement solutions, making strong communication skills highly valuable.
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Post Silicon Validation jobs near you
Infographic showing various Post Silicon Validation job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 13% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $104,945 per year, or $50.5 per hour.

Senior Post Silicon Validation Engineer (Bringup)

Graphcore

Austin, TX • On-site

$156K - $211K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Re-posted 12 days ago

Job description

Senior Post Silicon Validation Engineer (Bringup)
Salary $156,500 - $211,700 + Phantom Equity + Benefits
Graphcore is a globally recognised leader in Artificial Intelligence computing systems. The company designs advanced semiconductors and data centre hardware that provide the specialised processing power needed to drive AI innovation, while delivering the efficiency required to support its broader adoption.
As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world's most transformative technologies. We are opening a new AI Engineering Campus in Austin which will play a central role in Graphcore's work building the future of AI computing.
We are looking to hire Post-Silicon Validation Engineers to join our collaborative, cross-functional development team validating cutting edge, high performance AI chips and platforms. You will play a critical role in supporting new product introductions and post-silicon validation. Working within the Post-Silicon Validation team, you will be involved with bringing first silicon to life, functionally validating it and working closely with many other teams to help it become a fully characterised and working product, reporting project status/progress to program management on a regular basis. You will have the opportunity to, and be responsible for, leading, mentoring, and providing technical guidance to other engineering team members. In this role, you can leverage your experience and industry knowledge to architect and drive implementation of continuous improvements to test infrastructure and processes.
The Post-Silicon Validation team sits within the Architecture and Validation team, we are responsible for validation of new silicon when it returns from manufacture, enabling and supporting the production SW and FW teams to bring up their software and also supporting the Silicon Characterisation team.
Responsibilities and Duties
  • Plan, design, develop and debug silicon validation tests in bare metal C/C++ on FPGA/Emulator prior to first silicon
  • Deploy silicon validation tests on first silicon and debugging them
  • Develop automated test framework and regression test suites in Python to optimize validation efficiency
  • Collaborate closely with engineers from many other disciplines on a variety of topics
  • Work with Validation and Production Test engineering peers to implement best practices and continuous improvements to test methodologies
  • Analyse test results, identify and debug failures/defects
  • Contribute to shared test and validation infrastructure
  • Provide feedback to architects

Essential skills:
  • Strong experience in Bare metal / embedded C/C++
  • Good knowledge of digital ASICs
  • Be highly motivated, a self starter, and a team player
  • Ability to work across teams and programming languages to find root causes of deep and complex issues
  • Experience of the post-silicon validation process applied in digital ASIC environments
  • Python, Linux
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate with others to solve problems
  • Excellent problem-solving, analytical & diagnostic skills

Desirable skills:
  • Driver level experience with one or more of the following is highly desirable:
    • PCIe
    • Ethernet
    • Memory technologies (LPDDR, DDR, HBM, ...)
    • Other peripherals such as I2C, I3C, SPI, ...
  • Good knowledge of mixed-signal building blocks such as PLLs, high speed PHYs and IC control/communication protocols is highly desirable
  • Experience of Arm CPUs, System IP and debug tools
  • Experience of AMBA protocols
  • Understanding of ML applications and their workloads
  • Experience in Characterization, Failure Analysis, Test Development, Statistical analysis, and Customer Support

USA Benefits
In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing and financial future. Our benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), disability and life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, commuter benefits, wellness services and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we're committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.

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