Physical Design Lead

Physical Design Lead, Manager

Job Description
The Physical Design Manager leads and mentors teams responsible for designing and delivering customer-specific silicon solutions based on detailed requirements. This role drives the creation of custom integrated circuits (ICs) and oversees building a solid re-use methodology, enabling fast turnaround through physical design flows and ensuring project efficiency, quality, and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and mentor a team of physical design engineers, overseeing project schedules, resource allocation, and team performance.
• Lead all phases of the physical design process, including synthesis, floor planning, placement, clock tree synthesis, place and route, timing closure, power and noise analysis, and verification.
• Develop and execute design strategies to meet customer-specific silicon requirements, ensuring the final deliverable meets performance, area, and power objectives.
• Build and maintain a robust re-use methodology, standardizing design practices and enabling quick reuse of IP, flows, and blocks to accelerate project schedules.
• Resolve complex issues, including timing and congestion challenges in custom high-speed and high-density blocks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, product managers, and customers to capture requirements and deliver optimized solutions.
• Champion best practices and drive adoption of leading EDA tools and physical design standards.
• Guide and participate in physical design verification (LVS, DRC), supporting efficient debugging activities.
• Promote innovation and continuous improvement through feedback, coaching, and knowledge-sharing.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience managing teams in physical design, plus 5 years of technical experience in the field.
• Specialized expertise in customer-specific silicon development, from capturing requirements to tape-out.
• Deep understanding of RTL to GDSII flows, physical synthesis, PNR, STA, and physical verification methodologies.
• Proven experience implementing re-use strategies and managing design libraries for efficiency.
• Hands-on proficiency with industry-standard EDA tools such as Synopsys, Cadence, or Mentor Graphics.
• Strong leadership, project management, and communication skills.

Desired Attributes

• Strategic thinker with experience delivering custom silicon solutions for a variety of applications.
• Inspirational leader adept at developing and mentoring high-performing teams, fostering a culture of re-use and innovation.
• Customer-focused and proactive in solving technical challenges.
• Passionate about continuous learning and implementing industry best practices.

What MIPS Offers
At MIPS, you'll be a member of a fast-growing team of technologists that are creating the industry's highest performance RISC-V processors. Small teams that are part of a non-compartmentalized structure – you'll be able to understand and have an impact on the bigger picture. A great deal of autonomy, with support from some of the industry's most experienced CPU engineers. An unlimited growth path – with the right skills, you can decide where you want to expand and grow in your role at MIPS. The opportunity to learn a great deal about the blossoming RISC-V architecture in cutting-edge applications with industry-leading customers. At MIPS we provide meaningful benefits programs and products to our associates and their families. MIPS offers a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement savings, and paid leave

About MIPS
MIPS is well-known as a microprocessor pioneer, having led the way in RISC-based computing to enable faster and more power-efficient semiconductors for a wide range of applications from consumer electronics to networking and communications. More than 30 years after the introduction of the original MIPS RISC architecture, MIPS processors have shipped into billions of consumer and enterprise products. Today, MIPS is once again leading a RISC revolution as we build on our deep roots to accelerate the RISC-V architecture for high-performance applications. We are focused on delivering our first RISC-V products the MIPS eVocore processors, which provide a new level of scalability for high-performance heterogeneous computing. Because of our RISC heritage, deep engineering expertise, and proven technologies, MIPS can accelerate development and deployment of RISC-V based solutions.