Senior Physical Design Engineer
Join us to design next-generation low-power Wi-Fi chips, where you’ll tackle cutting-edge physical design challenges and make a real impact on products used by millions worldwide!
About the job
Join our team as a Senior Physical Design Engineer and take ownership of shaping next-generation low-power Wi-Fi SoCs that power tomorrow’s connected devices. In this role, you’ll work on cutting-edge backend design flows, driving RTL-to-GDSII implementation and applying advanced low-power techniques to meet stringent power and performance targets. You’ll tackle complex challenges in timing closure, signal integrity, and power optimization, collaborating with world-class engineers and leading foundry partners to deliver high-quality, manufacturable designs. If you’re passionate about innovation, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and want to make a real impact on products used by millions, this is your opportunity to be at the forefront of semiconductor technology.
Key responsibilities
As a highly motivated individual you will be working as part of our Chip Physical Design team with dedicated responsibilities within the backend design-flow including:
Convert RTL-design into a physical layout (GDSII).
Perform floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS), and routing.
Apply low-power design techniques (e.g., multi-Vt cells, power gating, clock gating).
Ensure compliance with power budgets for battery-operated Wi-Fi devices.
Achieve timing closure across multiple corners and modes (MCMM) and work on setup/hold fixes, signal integrity, and clock skew management.
Perform IR drop analysis, EM (Electromigration) checks.
Work closely with RTL designers, verification engineers, and package engineers, and collaborate with foundry for process-specific optimizations.
Ensure design meets timing, power, area, and reliability targets.
Key Qualifications
M.Sc in Electronics Engineering or equivalent
Strong foundation in digital design principles, CMOS technology, and VLSI design.
Expertise in RTL-to-GDSII flow, including floorplanning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS), and routing.
Expertise with signal integrity, IR drop analysis, and electromigration checks.
Hands-on experience with low-power design techniques like Multi-Vt cells, power gating, clock gating, multiple voltage domains.
Proficiency in EDA tools and scripting skills for automation (Tcl, Perl, Python, or Shell).
Personal Skills
The ideal candidate will have strong collaboration and communication skills for working effectively with cross-functional teams. You need to be detail-oriented and capable of managing complex tasks under tight schedules while maintaining high-quality standards. Your problem-solving mindset is critical for addressing timing, power, and reliability challenges. The role demands adaptability to evolving technologies and processes, as well as the ability to take ownership and drive tasks to completion independently. Finally, being organized, analytical, and comfortable in a fast-paced environment will help you thrive.
Working for Nordic
Working at Nordic, you will be inspired and supported to develop yourself. Our teams enjoy a professional and informal working environment. We value and encourage the continuous development of skills and expertise to the highest levels. We are proud of our Norwegian heritage, our highly skilled international workforce, and our world-leading innovation.
We offer a variety of tasks and projects, and the possibility to work alongside some of the world’s most renowned experts within their field. We encourage our employees to question the established and innovate while expecting professionalism, commitment, and the will to learn.
Benefits
Competitive salary with short- and long-term incentive plan
Flexible working hours
Medical insurance
Family-friendly policies, insurances, and benefits
Practical details
Location: Stockholm, Sweden | Tampere, Finland | Bristol, UK
Please note that this position might be subject to a background check.
About Nordic Semiconductor
Nordic Semiconductor is a Norwegian fabless semiconductor company specializing in wireless communication technology that powers the Internet of Things (IoT). Nordic was established in 1983 and has about 1400 employees across the globe. Our award-winning Bluetooth Low Energy solutions pioneered ultra-low power wireless, making us the global market leader. Our technology range was later supplemented by ANT+, Thread and Zigbee, and in 2018 we launched our low power, compact LTE-M/NB-IoT cellular IoT solutions to extend the penetration of the IoT. The Nordic portfolio was further complemented by Wi-Fi technology in 2021.
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