EDA/CAD Engineer – Characterization Specialist

Our client is an early-stage AI-powered semiconductor design startup transforming electronic design automation (EDA). By applying AI to chip design, the company aims to optimize power, performance, and area while improving manufacturability. Backed by experienced founders, with a publicly announced partnership with a major semiconductor foundry, the team is building technology to push the boundaries of chip design.

Why Join?

• Build from scratch: Own the development of a cell characterization engine comparable to leading industry tools.
• Meaningful equity: Join a founding-stage team with equity opportunities of up to 1.5%.
• Competitive compensation: $250K–$350K base salary, with flexibility for exceptional candidates.
• Work with industry leaders: Collaborate directly with founders, technical teams, and major semiconductor customers.
• Visa sponsorship available: Open to visa transfers and new sponsorship.

Key Responsibilities

• Build a scalable characterization engine for standard cells and custom IP, covering timing, power, and noise models.
• Develop and optimize SPICE simulation orchestration, parallelization, and sampling.
• Generate and validate Liberty (.lib) models for downstream static timing analysis tools.
• Build APIs connecting characterization data with AI-driven chip optimization workflows.

Required Experience

• 3–10 years of experience in cell characterization tools, EDA research and development, or related engineering.
• Hands-on experience with C++ and Python for engineering tool development.
• Strong knowledge of SPICE-based simulation tools such as HSPICE, Spectre, or FineSim.
• Experience with Liberty (.lib) generation, timing and power characterization, and tools such as PrimeLib, SiliconSmart, or Cadence Liberate.
• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field preferred; a bachelor's degree with strong hands-on tool-building experience is also considered.