Senior Engineer – Backend (Physical Design & Timing)

Role

Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Seniority: 5+ years (physical design with a timing focus)

Own timing closure and sign-off for complex IP and SoC blocks that integrate our full-custom ComputeRAM® macros. You will drive Static Timing Analysis across corners and modes, shape clean constraints, partner closely with synthesis, place-and-route, and clock-tree teams, and lead ECO loops to convergence. Your work ensures robust clocks, predictable closure, and high-quality sign-off on modern nodes. You will work closely with our full-custom team to integrate our custom IPs into the traditional digital backend flow.

What you’ll do

  • Build, refine, and maintain timing constraints for blocks and top-level designs, including clocks, generated clocks, I/O timing, and exceptions.
  • Run STA across all relevant corners and modes, close setup and hold, and manage variation and correlation from synthesis to P&R to sign-off.
  • Guide clock-tree strategy and debugging with clear targets for skew, jitter, and latency; collaborate with P&R on placement, buffering, and routing choices that affect timing.
  • Lead timing and functional ECOs, track impacts, and land repeatable closure with minimal overhead.
  • Support gate-level verification needs with timing data, and ensure timing/constraints remain consistent with sign-off views.
  • Automate timing checks, report generation, and regressions using scripting, and contribute checklists and documentation that others can reuse.

Outcomes (first 18 months)

  • Clean timing closure at block and top level across all defined corners and modes, with stable constraints and traceable waivers.
  • Documented timing methodology adopted by the team, with measurable reductions in ECO cycles and predictable time-to-close.
  • Correlated results between synthesis, P&R, and sign-off, demonstrated by repeatable reports and post-route margins on critical paths.

Requirements

  • 5+ years in ASIC physical design with a strong emphasis on timing closure and sign-off.
  • Familiarity with STA tools and flows, including clocking, cross-domain concerns, multi-clock designs, and hierarchical closure.
  • Hands-on experience working with synthesis and place-and-route to drive timing-aware decisions and guide ECOs to closure.
  • Scripting ability to automate timing analysis and reporting.
  • A collaborative approach with front-end, backend, and verification teams.

Nice to have

  • Experience with power-aware and low-power backend.
  • Background in scan and test timing, and awareness of verification and physical verification interactions with timing.
  • Exposure to advanced nodes and hierarchical sign-off on large designs.
  • Context working on accelerators or memory-adjacent designs where timing and integration are tightly coupled.

Apply

Send your CV and a short note (2–3 paragraphs on a design you owned, your toughest bug & how you solved it, an intro on what you like to do and how you see yourself as an engineer)

Interview flow (indicative)

  1.  30-min intro with HR (role/context)
  2.  First Technical deep dive
  3.  Second Technical Deep Dive
  4.  (Optional) Third Technical Deep Dive
  5.  Systems/product conversation with management

    Your CV