Silicon Validation, Staff Engineer

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

You Are

You have spent years in the lab, not just running tests but actually understanding what the waveform is telling you when something goes sideways at 56 Gbps. You know the difference between a spec that passes and a product that works in the field, and you have debugged enough mixed-signal circuits to spot the difference between a layout issue, a power integrity problem, and a test setup artifact without needing three meetings to figure it out.

You are comfortable moving between a BERT, a sampling scope, and a VNA in the same afternoon, then writing Python to automate the next round of measurements because doing it manually is a waste of everyone's time. You do not wait for perfect documentation. You look at the schematic, talk to the analog designer, set up the test, and start collecting data.

You have opinions about signal integrity. You know what CTLE actually does, not just what the acronym stands for. When a PAM-4 eye diagram looks wrong, you can tell whether it is the transmitter FFE, the channel, or the receiver that needs attention. At Synopsys, you will work on high-speed IP that ships in products across the industry, and the validation work you do will determine whether it works or gets sent back to the drawing board.

What You'll Be Doing

• Validate mixed-signal IP designs in the lab using equipment like BERTs, real-time oscilloscopes, sampling scopes, VNAs, and TDRs to characterize performance and verify compliance with electrical standards
• Work directly with analog designers, systems engineers, and application teams to debug silicon issues, resolve non-conformance, and demonstrate product performance to customers
• Develop and execute test plans that go beyond checkbox compliance and actually stress the product under real-world conditions
• Write Python and MATLAB scripts to automate measurements, process data, correlate results, and generate test reports that tell the story of what the silicon is doing
• Design and build test boards and hardware solutions to support validation campaigns when off-the-shelf setups will not cut it
• Research and specify new lab equipment and components as test requirements evolve with each generation of IP
• Debug electronic circuits at the board and silicon level, investigating failures and working with the design team to root-cause and fix issues before tapeout or customer delivery

The Impact You Will Have

• Your validation work will determine whether high-speed IP designs meet spec and ship on schedule or get held for another spin
• The test methodologies and automation you build will become the foundation for how future generations of IP are validated across the team
• Your ability to catch issues early in the lab will save months of debug time and prevent costly silicon respins
• The data you collect and the reports you generate will directly inform design decisions and guide architecture choices for next-generation SerDes and mixed-signal IP
• Your collaboration with analog designers will tighten the feedback loop between design intent and measured silicon performance
• The test boards and hardware solutions you develop will enable validation scenarios that were not possible before, expanding what the team can measure and verify
• Your work will help Synopsys deliver IP that powers everything from data center infrastructure to AI accelerators, and your validation ensures it actually works when customers integrate it

What You'll Need

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in post-silicon validation, lab instrumentation, characterization, and debug of mixed-signal or high-speed digital circuits
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
• Solid understanding of analog and mixed-signal circuit behavior, not just theory but how it shows up on a scope when things go wrong
• Proficiency in Python and MATLAB for test automation, data processing, and analysis
• Real experience with lab equipment including oscilloscopes, VNAs, spectrum analyzers, and BERTs, you know how to set them up, calibrate them, and interpret what they are telling you
• Strong grasp of signal and system concepts like FFT, sampling theory, bandwidth, digital filters, ISI, and how they apply to real measurements
• Experience with PAM-4 signaling, SerDes architectures, CTLE, TX FFE, and high-speed link validation is a strong plus

Who You Are

• You can look at an eye diagram and immediately start forming hypotheses about what is wrong, then design the next three tests to prove or disprove them
• You are comfortable in the lab for hours at a time, but you also know when to step back, look at the data in Excel or Python, and find the pattern that explains what you are seeing
• You push back when a test plan does not make sense or when the spec is unclear, because running tests that do not answer the right question is a waste of time
• You can explain a complex signal integrity issue to an analog designer in technical detail and then turn around and summarize the same issue for a program manager in two sentences
• You do not need someone to tell you what to measure next, you look at the results, talk to the design team, and figure out the right path forward
• You are organized enough to manage multiple validation campaigns at once without losing track of what needs to happen when

The Team You'll Be Part Of

You will be part of an R&D team developing high-speed, mixed-signal IP designs in a combined team environment that innovates and develops the latest IP solutions that enable the way the world designs. The team operates in a lab-focused setting with access to industry-leading test equipment and works closely with analog designers, systems designers, application engineers, and customers.

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non-monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.