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Senior Physical Design Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Microsoft

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$160K - $261K/yr

We are looking for a Senior Physical Design Engineer with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that ...

Lumilens

Sr. Physical Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$159K - $164K/yr

Role Overview We are seeking a Senior Physical Design Engineer to join our silicon design team developing high-performance ASIC using TSMC advance process nodes, including 5nm and 3nm. In this role ...

E-Space

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Saratoga, CA

$120K - $220K/yr

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Physical Design Engineer to join our ASIC implementation team. In this role, you will be responsible for the physical implementation of complex digital SoC ...

E-Space

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Saratoga, CA · On-site

$120K - $220K/yr

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Physical Design Engineer to join our ASIC implementation team. In this role, you will be responsible for the physical implementation of complex digital SoC ...

Nvidia

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Austin, TX

We are now looking for a Senior Physical Design Engineer. NVIDIA has continuously reinvented itself over two decades. Our invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market ...

E-Space

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Saratoga, CA · On-site

$120K - $220K/yr

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Physical Design Engineer to join our ASIC implementation team. In this role, you will be responsible for the physical implementation of complex digital SoC ...

Nvidia

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

We are now looking for a Senior Physical Design Engineer. NVIDIA has continuously reinvented itself over two decades. Our invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market ...

Nvidia

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Westford, MA · On-site

NVIDIA is looking for best-in-class Senior Physical Design Engineers to join our outstanding Networking Silicon engineering team, developing the industry's best high speed communication devices ...

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Senior Physical Design Engineer information

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$70.5K

$134.6K

$195K

How much do senior physical design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 25, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior physical design engineer in the United States is $134,577.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $107,500.00 and $157,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by Senior Physical Design Engineers during the chip tape-out phase?

Senior Physical Design Engineers often encounter tight deadlines and last-minute design changes during the chip tape-out phase, which can make ensuring timing closure and meeting power, performance, and area (PPA) targets particularly challenging. Collaborating closely with verification and layout teams is essential to quickly resolve any critical design rule violations or integration issues. Effective communication, attention to detail, and thorough knowledge of EDA tools are key to successfully managing these high-pressure situations and delivering a manufacturable design on schedule.

What is a Senior Physical Design Engineer?

A Senior Physical Design Engineer is a highly skilled professional in the field of semiconductor engineering who specializes in transforming circuit designs (netlists) into physical layouts for integrated circuits (ICs). They are responsible for tasks such as floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis, and routing, ensuring that the chip meets performance, area, and power requirements. Senior engineers in this role often lead projects, mentor junior engineers, and collaborate closely with other design and verification teams to deliver high-quality silicon products.

What is the difference between Senior Physical Design Engineer vs Physical Design Engineer?

AspectSenior Physical Design EngineerPhysical Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering; experience in physical design toolsBachelor's or Master's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering; entry to mid-level experience
Work EnvironmentDesign teams in semiconductor or chip design companies, using EDA toolsDesign teams in semiconductor or chip design companies, using EDA tools
Employer & Industry UsageCommonly employed in advanced chip design companies, focusing on complex ICsUsed across various semiconductor companies for standard physical design tasks

The main difference is experience level and responsibility. Senior Physical Design Engineers typically lead complex projects and mentor junior staff, while Physical Design Engineers focus on executing design tasks under supervision. Both roles require similar technical skills and work in similar environments, but the senior role involves more leadership and strategic planning.

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

To thrive as a Senior Physical Design Engineer, you need expertise in VLSI design, ASIC/SoC implementation, and a solid background in electrical or computer engineering, often complemented by a relevant degree. Mastery of EDA tools such as Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor Graphics, and familiarity with scripting languages like TCL and Python, is typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication are critical soft skills for collaborating with cross-functional teams and managing complex projects. These skills and qualifications ensure efficient, high-quality chip design, meeting both technical and timeline requirements in a competitive industry.
More about Senior Physical Design Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Senior Physical Design Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Senior Physical Design Engineer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Physical Design Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Physical Design Engineer jobs are:
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What job categories do people searching Senior Physical Design Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Physical Design Engineer jobs are:
Senior Physical Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Physical Design Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $134,577 per year, or $64.7 per hour.
Senior Physical Design Engineer

Senior Physical Design Engineer

Microsoft

Raleigh, NC • On-site

$160K - $261K/yr

Full-time

Posted 26 days ago

Microsoft rating

8.5

Company rating: 8.5 out of 10

Based on 131 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

69th of 217 rated software companies

Job description

Overview
Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft's expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft's "Intelligent Cloud" mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for a Senior Physical Design Engineer to help achieve that mission.
As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, in high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the AISIE team is instrumental in defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving the planning process, quality, delivery, scale and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. We are looking for a Senior Physical Design Engineer with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure.
We are looking for a Senior Physical Design Engineer to join the team.
Responsibilities
  • Lead and execute Physical Design activities at block and sub-chip levels.
  • Contribute to Physical Design flow development, automation, and methodology improvements.
  • Evaluate and recommend technology nodes, IP selection, EDA tools, and vendor solutions.
  • Provide clear and concise status updates on progress, risks, and mitigation plans to management.
  • Operate with minimal supervision while maintaining good attention to detail.
  • Support program needs, including occasional travel as required.
  • Execute all phases of implementation including:
    • Floorplanning
    • Synthesis
    • Placement and optimization
    • Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS) and custom clocking
    • Routing
    • Static Timing Analysis (STA)
    • Physical Verification
    • Formal Equivalency
    • Power optimization and efficiency analysis
    • IR-drop and Electromigration (EM) analysis

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
  • Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 1+ year(s) technical engineering experience OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.

Other Requierments:
  • Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
  • This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their US. residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience in physical design implementation, signoff at block / sub system level.
  • Experience in tapeouts of complex ASICs in leading edge technology.

#SCHIE
Silicon Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $160,200 - $261,000 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

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About Microsoft

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Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 100 datacenters and 1 million servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide. With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Redmond, WA, US

Year founded

1975

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