Layout Design, Staff Engineer

Overview

Our Hardware Engineers at Synopsys are responsible for designing and developing cutting-edge semiconductor solutions. They work on intricate tasks such as chip architecture, circuit design, and verification to ensure the efficiency and reliability of semiconductor products. These engineers play a crucial role in advancing technology and enabling innovations in various industries.

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

You Are

You have spent years translating circuit intent into physical reality, and you know that a layout is not just geometry, it is a series of decisions that either enable performance or quietly kill it. The difference between a chip that meets spec and one that does not often comes down to a placement choice, a routing strategy, or a guard ring you added because you have seen what happens when you skip it.

You do not wait for someone to tell you the layout is wrong. You catch it during floorplanning, during routing, during the third DRC iteration when everyone else is ready to tape out. You have debugged LVS mismatches at 11 p.m. before a milestone and found the issue because you know how to read a schematic against a layout and spot what does not belong. Working across circuit design, verification, and manufacturing teams does not intimidate you. You ask the right questions, push back when a constraint does not make sense, and find solutions that work without compromising the design.

What You'll Be Doing

Design and develop custom layout for complex analog, mixed-signal, or digital blocks, ensuring compliance with design rules, performance targets, and manufacturability constraints

Perform physical verification including DRC, LVS, and PERC, resolving violations and working with process teams to close out tape-out readiness

Collaborate directly with circuit designers to optimize layout for power, performance, area, and reliability

Own layout deliverables for entire subsystems or critical IP blocks, managing timelines and coordinating with verification and project teams to meet tape-out schedules

Participate in design reviews, identify layout risks early, and propose solutions that balance technical tradeoffs

Drive process improvements within the layout team, including automation scripts, design methodology updates, and best practice documentation

The Impact You Will Have

Your layout decisions will directly influence the performance, yield, and manufacturability of semiconductor products used in high-performance computing and AI

Designs you deliver will tape out on time and meet stringent power, area, and reliability specifications

Physical verification work you complete will reduce costly respins and catch issues before they reach the fab

Collaboration with circuit and verification teams will result in optimized layouts that meet both electrical and physical constraints without unnecessary iteration

Process improvements and automation you contribute will increase layout efficiency and quality across the team

Your ownership of complex layout blocks will enable the broader design team to focus on innovation

What You'll Need

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, or a related field, advanced degree is a plus

5+ years of hands-on experience in custom IC layout design, with demonstrated ability to deliver complex layouts through tape-out

Strong proficiency with industry-standard layout tools such as Cadence Virtuoso, Mentor Calibre, or equivalent platforms

Deep understanding of semiconductor manufacturing processes, design rules, and tape-out requirements including DRC, LVS, and parasitic extraction

Proven ability to resolve complex layout issues related to performance, reliability, or manufacturability

Experience working cross-functionally with circuit designers, verification engineers, and project managers

Who You Are

You can look at a schematic and a floorplan and immediately start thinking about routing strategy, device matching, and where the noise is going to come from

When a DRC violation shows up in a critical path two days before tape-out, you isolate it, understand the root cause, and fix it without breaking something else

You push back when a circuit designer asks for something that will hurt yield or performance, and you do it with enough technical clarity that they understand the tradeoff

You stay organized across multiple layout blocks, verification runs, and project timelines without letting details slip

The Team You'll Be Part Of

You will be part of a dynamic and diverse engineering team at Synopsys Armenia, where collaboration, continuous learning, and creative problem solving drive the development of layout solutions for leading semiconductor products. The team works to advance the boundaries of chip design and technology, and you will contribute to projects that help shape the future of high-performance integrated circuits while working with talented professionals around the world.

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non-monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.

Health & Wellness

Comprehensive medical and healthcare plans that work for you and your family.

Time Away

In addition to company holidays, we have ETO and FTO Programs.

Family Support

Maternity and paternity leave, parenting resources, adoption and surrogacy assistance, and more.

ESPP

Purchase Synopsys common stock at a 15% discount, with a 24 month look-back.

Retirement Plans

Save for your future with our retirement plans that vary by region and country.

Compensation

Competitive salaries. Benefits vary by country and region - check with your recruiter to confirm.