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Senior Physical Design Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Beaverton, OR

$141K - $145K/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

$160K - $164K/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

$167K - $172K/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

$167K - $172K/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

$167K - $172K/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

$141K - $145K/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

$167K - $172K/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

$160K - $164K/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

$160K - $164K/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 ...

Violet Ink

Physical Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$159K - $164K/yr

Physical Design Engineer / Staff Engineer Location : San Jose CA Contract More than 12 months Relocation consultants are also considerable.. Job Responsibilities: We are seeking experienced Physical ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$160K - $164K/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 ...

Ambarella

$140K - $156K/yr

The Physical Design Engineer willbe an integral part of the physical design team with all aspects of physical design implementation and verification tasks for Ambarella's cutting edgelow powerAISoC ...

iFlow Inc

Physical Design Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$159K - $164K/yr

Physical Design Engineer Location:Sunnyvale, CA OR Austin,TX Duration: Long term experience: 5-18 years only ( No 18+ years profile) Job Overview: We are looking for a highly skilled Physical Design ...

Apple

Physical Design Engineer

Cupertino, CA

$129K - $225K/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

Bodega Bay, CA

$150K - $277K/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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All JobsSenior Physical Design Engineer Jobs

Senior Physical Design Engineer information

See salary details

$70.5K

$134.6K

$195K

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

As of Jul 4, 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:
What states have the most Senior Physical Design Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Senior Physical Design Engineer jobs include:
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 June 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, 3% Temporary, 3% Contract, and 3% Nights. Highlights an 98% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $134,577 per year, or $64.7 per hour.
Physical Design Engineer

Physical Design Engineer

Apple

Beaverton, OR

$141K - $145K/yr

Full-time

Posted 14 days ago

Apple rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 666 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

5th 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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