Principal Engineer Synthesis Team

About the Company

Lattice is a worldwide community of engineers, designers, and manufacturing operations specialists, partnered with world-class sales, marketing, and support teams. We develop programmable logic solutions that are changing the industry, with a focus on R&D, product innovation, and customer service. Our fast-paced, results-oriented environment thrives on energy, collaboration, and a "team first" culture. If you flourish in a demanding yet collegial atmosphere and seek to contribute to a dynamic organization, Lattice may be the right fit for you.

About the Role

Lattice Semiconductor is seeking a Principal Engineer to join the team responsible for the architecture, design, and development of advanced EDA software tools for Lattice FPGA platforms. This role is central to delivering high-quality, scalable synthesis solutions across the Lattice product portfolio, with primary ownership of the Lattice synthesis toolchain. The ideal candidate is a technical leader and domain expert in FPGA synthesis engine design, with a deep understanding of achieving best-in-class results for specific FPGA architectures.

You will drive industry-leading outcomes across maximum frequency (Fmax), area efficiency, runtime performance, and memory utilization—balancing tradeoffs to meet diverse customer use cases. This role carries significant responsibility for enabling next-generation FPGA architectures, ensuring synthesis solutions scale effectively as the Lattice platform roadmap evolves.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership in the design, implementation, and optimization of FPGA synthesis engines across multiple Lattice product families
• Collaborate with synthesis developers and cross-functional partners to define architecture, algorithms, and long-term technical direction
• Drive quality-of-results (QoR) improvements spanning Fmax, area, and compile time
• Lead development and enablement of new synthesis features and capabilities aligned with product roadmap priorities
• Maintain, enhance, and modernize the synthesis codebase to ensure robustness, scalability, and long-term maintainability
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex synthesis issues, including customer-reported problems
• Influence engineering best practices, code quality, and design standards within the synthesis team
• Mentor and guide junior and mid-level engineers through design reviews and technical guidance

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in EDA software development, with a focus on logic synthesis or place-and-route
• Expert-level proficiency in C++, with a track record of designing, implementing, and optimizing large-scale, performance-critical software systems
• Deep knowledge of synthesis algorithms—including technology mapping, retiming, logic optimization, and timing-driven optimization
• Strong understanding of FPGA architectures (LUTs, DSPs, BRAMs, carry chains) and how architectural constraints inform synthesis strategy
• Experience with QoR benchmarking methodologies and data-driven optimization workflows
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives independently and influence without direct authority
• Hands-on experience with generative AI tools applied to developer productivity—debugging, code review, algorithm exploration, or documentation

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with the Lattice synthesis toolchain (Radiant, Propel, or ACE environments)
• Experience with Python scripting for automation, regression testing, or QoR analysis
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field

Pay

Lattice offers a market-based pay structure that varies by location. The base pay range for this role is $248,400 and reflects the cost of labor in the U.S. geographic market. Pay within this range depends on job-related knowledge, skills, relevant work experience, and location. The starting salary will vary based on qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location.

In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for variable/incentive compensation and/or equity.

Benefits

This role is eligible for a comprehensive, competitive benefits package, which may include healthcare and retirement plans, paid time off, and more.