Sr. Staff CPU Physical Design CAD Engineer

Qualcomm

Actively hiring
Santa Clara, CA · Austin, TX Posted 26 days ago Apply by Nov 4, 2026 $198,700–$298,100 / year
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At a glance

AI generated

TL;DR

As a senior CPU Physical Design CAD engineer at Qualcomm Technologies in San Diego, Santa Clara, or Austin, you will join the NUVIA team to develop and support cutting-edge place-and-route CAD flows for high-performance custom CPUs. Your daily tasks include integrating new features into existing tools, recommending methodology improvements, and resolving project-specific issues with worldwide design teams. You will work closely with EDA vendors to enhance tool functionality and ensure class-leading power, performance, and area (PPA). Ideal candidates have over ten years of experience in place-and-route for high-performance chips, proficiency in Tcl and Python, and a deep understanding of digital design and physical verification. Experience with Cadence Innovus and advanced technology nodes is essential, as you will leverage your expertise to solve complex problems and collaborate on the full lifecycle of CPU designs from concept to validation.

Skills

Tcl Python Cadence_Innovus Place-and-route Physical_Design Timing_Analysis Physical_Verification EDA Automation CI/CD

What you'll do

  • Develop and integrate new features in high-performance place-and-route CAD flow.
  • Recommend and implement methodology improvements for optimal power, performance, and area.
  • Maintain, debug, and resolve issues within implementation flows to ensure project success.
  • Provide guidance on tools and methodologies to worldwide CPU physical design teams.
  • Collaborate with EDA vendors to define roadmaps and address tool-related challenges.

What we're looking for

  • Ten+ years of hands-on experience in place-and-route of high-performance chips
  • Proficiency in Tcl and Python for automation and scripting
  • Experience with advanced technology nodes (5nm or lower)
  • Solid understanding of digital design, timing analysis, and physical verification
  • Strong user of industry-standard place-and-route tools like Cadence Innovus
  • Proven ability to manage and regress place-and-route flows
  • Collaborative work with cross-functional teams on complex CPU designs

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $192k
This role $248k
$125k most similar roles pay here $317k

This role pays more than 91% of similar roles. Most pay $168,250–$216,250 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $248k versus about $192k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a leading American semiconductor and telecommunications company based in San Diego, CA.

Qualcomm currently has 595 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $148,300–$222,500 across 540 roles with salary data.

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View all roles at Qualcomm

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