About the Role:
As an EMIR Technical Lead at Altera, you will play a critical role in our Physical Design (PD) organization, focusing on EMIR methodology and signoff. You will collaborate with physical design, timing, architecture, logic design, DFT, CAD/EDA, and manufacturing teams to achieve performance, power, and area (PPA) goals, with particular emphasis on programmable logic structures, block and full-chip integration, and the unique demands of FPGA technologies (e.g., configurable logic blocks, routing fabrics, I/O rings, on-chip power domains).
Key Responsibilities:
Lead and execute power/EMIR methodology, implementation, and signoff for all designs within the company.
Work closely with physical design implementation (floorplanning, power planning, placement, clock tree synthesis (CTS), routing, ECOs, extraction, and signoff preparation) to ensure EMIR convergence at all stages.
Apply PPA optimization techniques (performance/timing closure, power reduction, area efficiency) across block and full-chip hierarchies.
Collaborate with front-end design, architecture, and CAD/EDA tool teams to ensure physical design constraints, timing budgets, power budgets, and DFT insertions are met.
Develop and enhance EMIR flows, methodologies, scripts, and automation frameworks (TCL, Python, Perl) to accelerate turnaround, improve QoR, and reduce manual intervention.
Integrate FPGA-specific physical design aspects: configurable logic block placement, fabric routing, I/O ring optimization, power domain management for programmable regulation, and yield optimization.
Partner with manufacturing and packaging teams to ensure designs are manufacturable (DFM/DFY), meet yield targets, and support high-volume production.
Debug physical design issues and work with CAD tool vendors and internal tool teams to drive tool enhancements or implement workarounds.
Mentor junior engineers, contribute to design reviews, document flows, and promote continuous process improvement.
Salary Range
The pay range below is for Bay Area California only. Actual salary may vary based on a number of factors including job location, job-related knowledge, skills, experiences, trainings, etc. We also offer incentive opportunities that reward employees based on individual and company performance.
$142,600 - $206,500 USD
We use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for the position.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field, with 10+ years of experience in:
EMIR signoff and closure at chip and block/super-block level (power/IR analysis, signal/power integrity reports, and corrective actions).
Timing closure (minimum at block/super-block level).
Power estimation (minimum at block/super-block level).
Digital/SoC physical design (from synthesis through P&R to signoff).
Proficiency with industry-standard EDA tools (e.g., Redhawk/Voltus, Totem/Voltus-FI, Synopsys IC Compiler/Fusion, Cadence Innovus/Encounter, PrimeTime, STAR-RCX, Calibre) for high-speed digital ASIC/SoC implementation.
Strong scripting/programming skills (TCL, Python, Perl, shell) for flow automation and productivity enhancement.
Experience collaborating with front-end teams (RTL, architecture), CAD/EDA tool teams, and manufacturing/packaging teams.
Knowledge of bump planning, RDL routing, MiMCap planning, and ESD signoff.
Efficient I/O budgeting (chip/partitions/blocks).
Experience in PNR flow and signoff: floorplanning, CTS, placement, routing, power domain gating, clock domain crossing, multi-power domain design, timing closure, ECOs, and DRC/LVS/DFM issues.
Familiarity with advanced process nodes (7nm, 5nm or smaller) or FPGA/programmable logic device flows.
Understanding of FPGA architecture: routing fabrics, programmable logic blocks (PLBs), on-chip networks, I/O rings, and static/dynamic reconfiguration.
Knowledge of low-power design methodologies, power grid design, power gating, multi-voltage domain implementation, and power signoff flows.
Prior exposure to full-chip integration flows (block-to-chip convergence) and high-frequency (1 GHz+) timing closure.
Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments, including yield and DFM/DFY considerations.
Proven ability to mentor or lead small physical design sub-teams or own major P&R blocks.
Top Skills
What We Do
Altera: Accelerating Innovators
Altera provides leadership programmable solutions that are easy-to-use and deploy in applications from cloud to edge, offering limitless AI possibilities. Our end-to-end broad portfolio of products including FPGAs, CPLDs, Intellectual Property, development tools, System on Modules, SmartNICs and IPUs provide the flexibility to accelerate innovation. Altera is helping to shape the future through pioneering innovation that unlocks extraordinary possibilities for everyone on the planet.
