Principal Front-End Design Automation Engineer

Ampere is a semiconductor design company leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high-performance, energy-efficient AI compute. As part of the Softbank Group, we drive sustainable computing for AI, Cloud, and edge applications.

About the Role

As a Principal Front-End Design Automation (EDA/DevOps) Engineer, you will partner closely with Ampere’s RTL and Verification organizations to drive measurable improvements in pre-silicon productivity through automation, systems, and platform capabilities. Collaborate with hardware, software, and IT stakeholders to support EDA tooling guidance, architect or enhance internal tools, automate end-to-end workflows across on-prem and cloud, and contribute to infrastructure scaling to improve design quality and expand AI-enabled impact in verification and design.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong technical guidance for EDA tools and Ampere design/verification flows, establishing standards and mechanisms that measurably improve productivity and reliability.
• Collaborate with RTL design and verification teams to define and deploy new or improved methods of work.
• Deploy and administer custom Ampere automation and services that streamline RTL design and verification, reducing cycle time and operational overhead for design teams.
• Enable and support EDA tools used for RTL design and verification (SystemVerilog simulation, Lint, CDC, RDC, UPF, debug).
• Connect with IT, EDA vendors, RTL design, and verification teams to deliver high-performance, efficient solutions.

Requirements

• 6+ years of proven Front-End Design Automation (EDA/DevOps) expertise in the technology sector (semiconductor design preferred).
• Skilled in Python or Perl scripting.
• Strong SystemVerilog language expertise with background in DV/UVM/Coverage/Simulation/Debug and/or RTL static checks (Lint/CDC/RDC/UPF).
• Experience with IP and SoC RTL design and verification workflows.
• Knowledgeable with HPC scheduling/workload management, like IBM LSF (Load Sharing Facility) or SLURM (Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management), for running EDA workloads.
• Additional skills highly desired: SCM/Source Code Management; Git/Perforce; RDBMS; CI/CD; Cloud Computing.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science & 8 years of related experience,
• MS degree & 6 years of related experience, or
• PhD & 3 years of related experience.

Pay

The full base pay range for this role is between $182,000 and $273,000.

Benefits

• Premium medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Income protection and a 401K retirement plan.
• Unlimited flextime and 10+ paid holidays.
• Healthy snacks, energizing espresso, and refreshing drinks.