Senior ASIC Physical Design Engineer - Maynard, MA or ...

The application window is expected to close on: 02/27/2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received . Meet the Team Join the Cisco Acacia Communications team in developing intelligent transceivers using advanced signal processing and photonic integration for the 100G, 400G and 1T bit speed fiber optic transmission market deployed in data center, metro, long-haul and ultra-long haul telecommunication networks. Acaciau2019s silicon team provides a unique experience for ASIC engineers by combining the resources offered by a large multi-geography silicon organization with the startup culture and breadth of growth opportunities that working in a smaller ASIC team can provide. Your Impact As a Senior Physical Design Engineer, you will play a key role in the full RTL-to-GDSII implementation flow for advanced semiconductor nodes. You will optimize floor planning and timing, analyze and improve backend design flows, and collaborate across teams to ensure the successful delivery of high-performance networking chips. You will: u2022 Own and drive RTL-to-GDSII implementation for advanced nodes (sub-7nm to 2nm) u2022 Define and execute hierarchical floor planning, place and route, clock and power distribution, and timing convergence strategies u2022 Perform static timing analysis (STA), setup reviews, and sign-offs for multi-mode/multi-corner designs; develop automated scripts within STA tools u2022 Implement and manage timing ECO strategies u2022 Collaborate closely with RTL and DFT designers to debug and root-cause physical implementation issues related to design, tools, etc. u2022 Evaluate and implement new timing methodologies; provide creative debugging solutions u2022 Contribute to best practices and drive methodology alignment across projects Minimum Qualifications u2022 Bachelors degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering and 7+ years of related experience, or Masters degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering and 4+ years of related experience u2022 Hands-on experience in ASIC physical design and implementation u2022 Experience with place & route using tools such as Cadence Innovus, Synopsys ICC2, or industry equivalent tools u2022 Experience with industry standard CAD methodologies (Cadence, Synopsys, or Mentor) Preferred Qualifications u2022 Experience with floor planning & partitioning, formal equivalence check, Clock Tree Synthesis, timing closure, signal integrity, EMIR u2022 Experience with Static Timing Analysis including tools such as PrimeTime-DMSA or Tempus u2022 Experience with Scripting using languages such as TCL, Perl, Python, etc. u2022 Synthesis experience including Synopsys DC/FC u2022 Formal Verification experience using tools such Synopsys Formality or Cadence LEC u2022 Experience with Power Integrity including tools such as Apache Redhawk or Voltus u2022 Physical Verification DRC/LVS experience including tools such as Synopsys ICV or Mentor Calibre Why Cisco? At Cisco, weu2019re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era u2013 and beyond. Weu2019ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and youu2019ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. We are Cisco, and our power starts with you. Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada: The starting salary range posted for this position is $146,700.00 to $214,800.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process. U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Ciscou2019s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time. U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Ciscou2019s policies: + 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees + 1 paid day off for employeeu2019s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco + Non-exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees + Exempt employees participate in Ciscou2019s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations) + 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next + Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members + Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Ciscou2019s policies. Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows: + .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota; + 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%; + 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and + Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation. For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid. The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below: New York City Metro Area: $165,000.00 - $277,600.00 Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $146,700.00 - $247,000.00 For quota-based sales roles on Ciscou2019s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined. Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Created: 2026-02-16