Apple

Apple

Posted via Apple Careers

Physical Design Engineer

Always Hiring

Posted Aug 4, 2026

Role at a glance

Salary
$150.4K – $277.6K/yr
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Work arrangement
On-site
Employment
Full-time
Experience
3+ years experience preferred.
Education
Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering

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Role Summary

AI-generated

The Physical Design Engineer will work on PHY designs within a cross-functional group collaborating with architecture, CAD, timing, and logic design teams. The role covers physical design from RTL through final GDSII delivery, supporting high-performance PHY designs that meet timing, area, and power constraints.

What You'll Do

  • Generate block- and chip-level static timing constraints.
  • Build full-chip floor plans, including pin placement, partitions, and power grid.
  • Develop and validate high-performance, low-power clock network guidelines.
  • Perform block-level place and route and close designs to meet timing, area, and power constraints.
  • Generate and implement ECOs to fix timing, noise, and EM IR violations.
  • Run chip- and block-level physical design verification and provide guidelines to fix LVS/DRC violations.

Generated from the employer's posting. Verify important details before applying.

View full posting

Qualifications

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering; 3+ years experience preferred.

Required

  • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Preferred

  • 3+ years experience
  • Deep design experience in high PHY and/or SOC designs
  • Knowledge of physical design industry standards and practices, including physically aware synthesis, floor-planning, and place & route
  • Experience developing and implementing power-grid and clock specifications
  • Understanding of physical construction, integration, and physical verification
  • Knowledge of basic SoC architecture and HDL languages such as Verilog
  • Experience with industry-standard physical design and synthesis tools
  • Understanding of scripting languages such as Perl/Tcl

Original job description

Content provided by the employer

Summary

At Apple we work every single day to craft products that enrich people’s lives. Do you love working on challenges that no one has solved yet? Do you like changing the game? We have an opportunity for a forward-thinking and unusually hardworking Physical Design Engineer. As a member of our wide-ranging group, you will have the rare and great opportunity to craft upcoming products that will delight and encourage millions of Apple’s customers every single day. In this role, we will be at the center of a PHY design effort working with architecture, CAD, timing, and logic design teams, with a critical impact on delivering outstanding PHY designs. You will be required to do physical designs of outstanding PHY design.

Description

As a Physical Design engineer you will contribute to all phases of physical design of high performance PHY design from RTL to delivery of our final GDSII. Your responsibilities include but are not limited to: Generate block/chip level static timing constraints. Build full chip floor-plan including pin placement, partitions and power grid. Develop and validate high performance low power clock network guidelines. Perform block level place and route and close the design to meet timing, area and power constraints. Generate and Implement ECOs to fix timing, noise and EM IR violations. Run Physical Design verification flow at chip/block level and provide guidelines to fix LVS/DRC violations to other designers. Participate in establishing CAD and physical design methodologies for correct by construction designs. Assist in flow development for chip integration.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and 3+ years experience preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have deep design experience in high PHY and/or SOC designs.
Deep Knowledge about industry standards and practices in Physical Design, including Physically aware
synthesis, Floor-planning, and Place & Route.
Experience in developing and implementing Power-grid and Clock specifications.
Strong understanding of all aspects of Physical construction, Integration and Physical Verification.
Shown Knowledge of Basic SoC Architecture and HDL languages like Verilog to be able with logic design team for timing fixes Power user of industry standard Physical Design & Synthesis tools.
Deep Understanding of scripting languages such as Perl/Tcl, solid understanding of Extraction and STA methodology and tools.
Deep Understanding of Physical Design Verification methodology to debug LVS/DRC issues at chip/block level.

Pay & Benefits — San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $150,400 and $277,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Application Deadline

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.

Apple

About the company

Apple

Large Enterprise

Apple Inc. is a global technology company known for its innovative products and services, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac computers, and Apple Watch. Founded in 1976, Apple has continuously pushed the boundaries of design and functionality, earning a reputation for high-quality consumer electronics and software solutions like iOS and macOS. With a strong commitment to user experience and privacy, Apple also leads in digital services, offering platforms such as the App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud. The company's focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility further enhances its standing as a leader in the technology sector.