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Silicon Design Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Altera

FPGA Silicon Design Engineer

San Jose, CA

$149K - $215K/yr

About the Role Join Altera as an FPGA Silicon Design Engineer focused on RTL design. In this role, you will be responsible for developing high-quality logic designs and RTL implementations for next ...

Micron

Senior Package Design Engineer

Boise, ID

During the co-design phase, you will partner with silicon design teams, Business Units, customer ... Collaborate with assembly engineering, internal sites, and OSAT/subcontractor partners to conduct ...

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How much do silicon design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for silicon design engineer in the United States is $88,150.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $68,000.00 and $98,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are Silicon Design Engineers?

Silicon Design Engineers are professionals who design and develop integrated circuits (ICs) and semiconductor devices, commonly known as 'chips.' They use specialized software tools to create, simulate, and verify the layouts and functionalities of these microchips, which are essential components in electronic devices. Their work ensures that chips are efficient, reliable, and meet the performance requirements for products such as smartphones, computers, and automotive systems. Silicon Design Engineers often collaborate with hardware and software teams to deliver innovative semiconductor solutions.

What are some common challenges faced by Silicon Design Engineers in the development cycle?

Silicon Design Engineers often encounter challenges such as meeting tight deadlines while ensuring design accuracy and managing complex verification processes. Navigating frequent changes in project specifications and collaborating across cross-functional teams—including software, hardware, and verification—can add layers of complexity. Additionally, balancing power, performance, and area (PPA) trade-offs requires careful analysis and iterative optimization throughout the design cycle.

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

To thrive as a Silicon Design Engineer, you need a strong background in electrical engineering, digital logic design, and semiconductor fundamentals, typically supported by a relevant degree. Proficiency with hardware description languages (such as Verilog or VHDL), EDA tools (like Synopsys or Cadence), and knowledge of ASIC or FPGA design flows is essential. Attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, and effective teamwork are key soft skills that set top performers apart. These skills and qualities are crucial for ensuring reliable silicon designs, meeting project requirements, and collaborating efficiently in complex engineering environments.
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Silicon Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Silicon Design Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $88,150 per year, or $42.4 per hour.
FPGA Silicon Design Engineer

FPGA Silicon Design Engineer

Altera Corporation

San Jose, CA • On-site

$149K - $215K/yr

Full-time

Posted 10 days ago

Job description

Job Details:
Job Description:
About Altera
At Altera™, our independence as the world's largest pure-play FPGA solutions provider gives us the focus, speed, and agility to innovate without compromise. With more than four decades of industry-leading FPGA expertise, our singular mission is to deliver the programmable technologies that help customers differentiate, innovate, and scale across rapidly evolving markets like AI, cloud, networking, and edge. As an independent company, we move faster, invest deeper, and partner more closely-empowering our teams to drive breakthrough innovation and shape the future of the FPGA industry.
About the Role
Join Altera as an FPGA Silicon Design Engineer focused on RTL design. In this role, you will be responsible for developing high-quality logic designs and RTL implementations for next-generation FPGA products. You will collaborate cross-functionally with architecture, verification, and physical design teams to deliver robust, high-performance silicon solutions. This position plays a critical role in enabling scalable, power-efficient FPGA architectures used across a wide range of applications.
Key Responsibilities
  • Develop logic design, register transfer level (RTL) coding, and simulation for FPGA components including cell libraries, functional units, IP blocks, and subsystems.
  • Participate in defining architecture and microarchitecture features of assigned design blocks.
  • Create prototypes, simulate models, and define system requirements for new designs.
  • Prepare and design logic diagrams and RTL code to implement system design and test specifications.
  • Deliver software models to support device-level bring-up, including functionality, timing, and power characteristics.
  • Apply RTL implementation techniques to meet power, performance, and area (PPA) goals in partnership with physical design teams.
  • Review verification plans and ensure proper implementation to validate design features.
  • Debug failing RTL tests, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions to ensure design correctness.

Salary Range
The pay range below is for Bay Area California only. Actual salary may vary based on a number of factors including job location, job-related knowledge, skills, experiences, trainings, etc. We also offer incentive opportunities that reward employees based on individual and company performance.
$149,100 - $215,925 USD
We use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for the position. Applicants must be eligible for any required U.S. export authorizations.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Math, or related field and 8+ years of industry experience in FPGA or ASIC design.
  • 8+ years of experience in RTL design and coding using SystemVerilog and/or Verilog for complex digital systems.
  • 8+ years of experience with programming/scripting languages such as Python for design automation, modeling, or verification support.
  • 8+ years of experience in hardware design concepts including logic design, finite state machines, control units, processor subsystems, and network-on-chip (NoC) architectures.
  • 8+ years of experience using industry-standard front-end design tools and flows, including synthesis, static timing analysis (STA), linting (e.g., SpyGlass), and power domain methodologies.
  • 8+ years of experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (verification, physical design) to achieve power, performance, and area (PPA) targets.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Knowledge of Network-on-Chip (NoC) architectures and control processors.
  • Experience contributing to silicon bring-up or post-silicon validation.
  • Experience or knowledge in FPGA configuration controllers

Job Type:
Regular
Shift:
Shift 1 (United States of America)
Primary Location:
San Jose, California, United States
Additional Locations:
Posting Statement:
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by local law, regulation, or ordinance.

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