Position Description: Protingent Staffing has an exciting contract Senior Staff CAD Engineer with our client located in San Jose, CA.
Job Description:
We are looking for a senior IC EDA/CAD Engineer to own and advance our EDA design flows, IT infrastructure, and signoff methodologies.
You will be the technical authority on our EDA environment, setting up and maintaining advanced FinFET PDKs (e.g., 2nm or 3nm), Cadence analog/mixed-signal design flows, and digital implementation environments.
You will play a critical role in ensuring first-time-right silicon by developing, deploying, and supporting industry-standard backend signoff flows across RF, Analog, High-Speed IO, and Digital SoC chips.
Job Responsibilities:
PDK & Environment Setup: Install, qualify, and maintain advanced foundry PDKs (2nm/3nm FinFET nodes) and manage the use of the underlying IT infrastructure, compute clusters and grid utilization, license utilization.
Analog/Mixed-Signal Flow Development: Establish, optimize, and support the Cadence Design Systems front-to-back design environment (Virtuoso, Innovus) tailored for RF, analog, and high-speed IO interfaces.
Physical Verification & Signoff: Create, automate, and maintain robust chip-level and IP signoff flows using Siemens Calibre for DRC/LVS and Synopsys StarRC for parasitic extraction.
Advanced Reliability Verification: Deploy and support Electro-migration/IR-drop (EMIR) simulation flows and Programmable Electrical Rule Checking (PERC) to guarantee reliability at advanced nodes.
Automation & Support: Develop and maintain scripts and utilities that eliminate manual toil, standardize flows across projects, and reduce tool integration friction; act as the primary interface to EDA vendors for issue escalation and roadmap alignment.
Job Qualifications:
Education & Experience: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 5+ years of hands-on IC CAD experience.
Advanced Node Expertise: Direct experience managing PDKs and signoff flows for advanced FinFET technologies (5nm, 3nm, or 2nm).
Tool Proficiency: Deep operational knowledge of Siemens Calibre (DRC, LVS, PERC), Synopsys StarRC, and the Cadence Virtuoso/Innovus ecosystem.
Scripting & Automation: Strong scripting ability in SKILL and Perl; working proficiency in Python, Tcl, and Bash/Shell for flow automation and tool integration.
Systems & Infrastructure: Solid command of Linux, experience with compute grid/cluster management (e.g., LSF, SGE), and version control systems (e.g., Perforce, ICManage).
Nice To Have:
Working knowledge of advanced node design challenges: multi-patterning, dummy fill effects, and layout-dependent effects (LDE) and DFM sign-off.
Background in custom layout or circuit design, allowing for deep empathy and effective collaboration with design engineers.
Familiarity with foundry engagement processes: design rule waiver requests, PDK issue reporting, and process qualification cycles.
Proactive problem-solving mindset with excellent communication skills to support a multi-disciplinary team.
Job Details:
Job Type: Contract
Pay Range: $65 - $75 an hour.
Location: San Jose, CA (Onsite).
Benefits Package: Protingent offers competitive salaries, insurance plan options (HDHP plan or POS plan), education/certification reimbursement, pre-tax commuter benefits, Paid Time Off (PTO), and an administered 401k plan.
About Protingent: Protingent is an Award-Winning provider of top-tier Engineering and IT talent, trusted by companies at the forefront of innovation — from Software and Aerospace to AI, Clean Tech, Medical Devices, and Connected Technologies. We’re passionate about making a positive impact by connecting exceptional talent with meaningful opportunities and helping our clients build the future.