Principal Design Engineer

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Cadence is a pivotal leader in electronic design, building upon more than 30 years of computational software expertise. The company applies its underlying Intelligent System Design strategy to deliver software, hardware and IP that turn design concepts into reality.

Cadence customers are the world’s most innovative companies, delivering extraordinary electronic products from chips to boards to systems for the most dynamic market applications including consumer, hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, aerospace industrial and health.

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Job Title:                                             Principal Digital Design Engineer

Location:                                             Munich, Cork, Katowice, Edinburgh

Reports to:                                         Senior Principal Engineer

The Role:

We are seeking an exceptional Principal Digital Design Engineer to join the Performance Solutions Group (PSG).

The candidate will contribute to the development of complex, high-performance semiconductor designs.

You will work as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team, developing and integrating RTL for advanced SoCs and silicon platforms. You will be involved throughout the front-end design process, from understanding architectural requirements and developing microarchitectures through RTL implementation, simulation, synthesis, and handoff to downstream teams.

This is a hands-on engineering role suited to someone who enjoys solving challenging technical problems, learning new technologies, and working across the boundaries between architecture, RTL, verification, and physical implementation.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and integrate high-quality synthesizable RTL using SystemVerilog.
• Translate architectural specifications into robust, efficient microarchitectures and RTL implementations.
• Work with architects and senior engineers to understand functional and performance requirements.
• Develop RTL that meets requirements for performance, power, area, and functionality.
• Participate in RTL design reviews and contribute to design methodology and coding standards.
• Develop and maintain unit-level and block-level test environments in collaboration with verification engineers.
• Debug functional issues using simulation, waveform analysis, assertions, and other verification tools.
• Work with verification teams to identify, reproduce, and resolve RTL design issues.
• Collaborate with physical design engineers to understand and address timing, area, power, and implementation constraints.
• Support synthesis, timing analysis, linting, CDC analysis, and other front-end quality checks.
• Contribute to integration of internally developed and third-party IP.
• Help investigate and resolve issues encountered during integration and downstream implementation.
• Document design decisions, interfaces, microarchitecture, implementation details and reviews within the PSG Quality Management System (QMS)
• Contribute to continuous improvement of RTL methodologies, automation, and development flows.
• Work alongside senior engineers to develop solutions to challenging customer and internal silicon problems.

Technical Scope

Depending on experience, the role may encompass areas including:

• SystemVerilog RTL
• SoC and subsystem design
• CPU, GPU, AI/ML, networking, or other high-performance compute architectures
• Control logic and datapaths
• Memory interfaces and controllers
• High-speed interfaces
• Clock and reset architectures
• AMBA protocols such as AXI, AHB, and APB
• IP integration
• Low-power design techniques
• Assertions and formal verification
• RTL synthesis and optimization
• Static analysis, lint, and CDC
• Performance and power optimization
• RTL-to-gates implementation flows

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant RTL/ASIC design experience.
• Proficiency in Verilog or SystemVerilog.
• Understanding of digital logic design and synchronous design principles.
• Experience developing synthesizable RTL for ASIC or FPGA implementations.
• Familiarity with simulation and RTL debugging.
• Understanding of common SoC interfaces and protocols.
• Basic understanding of synthesis, timing, and physical implementation considerations.
• Ability to analyze complex technical problems and develop practical solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Ability to communicate effectively to customers

What Success Looks Like

• Deliver robust RTL.
  Develop clean, maintainable, synthesizable RTL that meets functional and performance requirements.
• Think beyond the RTL.
  Understand how design decisions affect verification, synthesis, timing, power, area, and ultimately silicon.
• Solve problems independently.
  Take ownership of assigned blocks and issues while knowing when to seek guidance from more senior engineers.
• Work collaboratively.
  Build strong working relationships with architects, verification, physical design, and other Silicon Engineering teams.
• Learn quickly.
  Develop expertise in new architectures, technologies, methodologies, and Cadence tools as projects evolve.
• Grow into technical leadership.
  Develop the depth and breadth needed to take ownership of increasingly complex blocks and eventually lead technical areas within the Silicon Engineering organisation.

Why Join the PSG Team?

• This is an opportunity to work at the intersection of advanced semiconductor technology, EDA, and real silicon.
• You will work on problems that are often at the limits of what current design methodologies and technologies can achieve, collaborating with some of the world's leading semiconductor companies and technology partners.
• Rather than being limited to a single product or stage of the design flow, you will have the opportunity to influence the entire path from technology and methodology through to working silicon.
• If you are an engineer who wants to solve the industry's hardest silicon problems—and see those solutions become real products—this is the team for you.

Additional Information:

Cadence is committed to equal employment opportunity and employment equity throughout all levels of the organization. We strive to attract a qualified and diverse candidate pool and encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

Travel:                                                 <10%

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