Staff Rfic Design Engineer Jobs in Irvine, CA (NOW HIRING)

EDA ENGINEER (RFIC ENGINEERING) 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Support day-to-day EDA/CAD workflows for RFIC and silicon engineering teams, including tool launch, environment setup, PDK usage, simulation, physical verification, extraction, and related Linux workflows
• Support analog/RF/mixed-signal specific flows (Virtuoso, Spectre, EM tools, etc.) in addition to digital and physical verification flows
• Assist with PDK installation, qualification, version tracking, release notes, and deployment support for supported foundry processes
• Triage DRC, LVS, PEX, simulation, EM, license, HPC, and environment issues using reproducible debug practices: command, log path, tool version, PDK version, run directory, expected result, actual result, and reproduce status
• Maintain and improve tool launch wrappers, setup scripts, environment modules, path configuration, project templates, and onboarding material
• Build lightweight automation in Python, Tcl, SKILL, shell, Perl, Makefile, or similar languages for log collection, preflight checks, license/tool health checks, regression reporting, and recurring issue reduction
• Create and run targeted QA tests for PDK updates, tool upgrades, wrapper changes, vendor patches, and flow changes before broad deployment
• Maintain clear runbooks and Confluence documentation for common EDA flows, including DRC/LVS/PEX debug, Cadence/Virtuoso setup, simulation setup, HPC job submission, license issues, and common user errors
• Partner with design, layout, verification, physical design, IT/HPC, foundry, and EDA vendor teams to resolve blocked flows and improve methodology robustness
• Identify recurring support patterns and help convert one-off fixes into durable flow changes, documentation, automation, or vendor/IT escalations
• Support configuration-management and data-management workflows, such as Perforce, Cliosoft, or similar systems, as needed for silicon design teams
• Contribute to modern EDA workflow improvements, including AI-assisted log triage, rule-deck validation, issue classification, signoff reporting, and designer self-service tools under senior guidance

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science
• 2+ years of experience in EDA/CAD support, IC design flow development, silicon design, physical verification, verification infrastructure, and/or CAD automation

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related technical field; or equivalent practical experience
• Hands-on experience using or supporting at least one major EDA flow, such as Cadence Virtuoso/Spectre, Siemens Calibre, Synopsys/Cadence digital tools, Keysight ADS, EMX/HFSS, or similar tools
• Practical Linux and scripting experience with Python, shell, Tcl, Perl, Makefile, SKILL, or similar languages
• Ability to independently triage well-scoped user issues, own small flow improvements, document resolutions, and escalate with clear evidence when needed
• Experience with Cadence Virtuoso, ADE Explorer/Assembler, Spectre, SKILL, design libraries, CDF, techfiles, display resources, or analog/RF/mixed-signal design flows
• Experience with Siemens Calibre DRC/LVS/PEX/xRC, Synopsys ICV/StarRC, Cadence Pegasus/Quantus, or related physical verification/extraction tools
• Exposure to PDK installation, PDK QA, foundry design-rule manuals, rule decks, model files, LVS mapping, extraction setup, or PDK release management
• Exposure to digital design and verification flows such as simulation, regressions, synthesis, STA, power analysis, formal/lint, or regression infrastructure
• Familiarity with HPC environments, job schedulers such as Slurm or LSF, license servers, FlexNet, Linux modules, wrappers, NFS/storage, and shared compute systems
• Ability to write clean scripts, parse logs, build sanity checks, and turn repeated errors into automated preflight checks or user-facing runbooks
• Interest in AI/LLM-assisted EDA workflows, including log triage, runbook retrieval, flow diagnostics, test generation, and signoff report automation

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support meeting critical milestones 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
Level 1: $125,000.00 - $150,000.00
Level 2: $145,000.00 - $175,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.