## About the role
We build the finite-element engine behind our electrothermal and thermomechanical simulation products — the solver that our customers use to predict temperature, warpage, and stress in advanced packages, 3D-IC stacks, and PCBs. It is a large, production C++ codebase that meshes real industrial geometry with hundreds of millions of degrees of freedom and solves it in parallel.
You will join as a R&D engineer working directly with the team of simulation developers. This is a hands-on numerical-methods role: you will own features end to end — formulation on paper, implementation in C++, verification against analytical or reference solutions, and performance work on real customer cases.
## Responsibilities
- Derive, implement, and verify finite-element formulations in production C++.
- Write unit and regression tests, including verification against analytical
solutions and benchmark problems; treat a feature as unfinished until it is tested.
- Profile and optimize solver and meshing code for large models — both runtime and memory.
- Debug numerical issues on real customer cases: non-convergence, mesh quality, ill-conditioning, and accuracy loss.
- Write up formulations, assumptions, and validation results clearly enough that a colleague can reproduce them.
- Work with application engineers, QA, and product management to get features into customers' hands, and respond to what comes back.
## Required qualifications
- **PhD in Mechanical / Civil / Aerospace Engineering, Computational Mechanics,
Applied Mathematics, or a related field** (new graduates welcome), **or an MS in a
related field with 2+ years of relevant industry or research experience.**
- Solid grounding in **continuum mechanics and the finite element method**: weak
forms, isoparametric elements, numerical integration, assembly, and the
Newton–Raphson method for nonlinear problems.
- Working knowledge of **heat transfer and/or thermomechanical stress analysis** —
thermal eigenstrain, CTE mismatch, and the behaviour of layered structures.
- **Strong C++ (C++11 or later)**: you can read and safely extend a large existing
codebase, not just write greenfield code. Comfortable with pointers, memory
ownership, templates, and a debugger.
- Familiarity with **sparse linear algebra** and at least one sparse solver or
library.
- Ability to validate your own work: you reach for an analytical solution, a refined
mesh, or a patch test before you claim something is correct.
- Clear written and spoken English, and a genuine willingness to work as part of a
team — asking for review, giving it, and sharing what you learn.
## Preferred qualifications
- Experience with a commercial or open-source FEA code (Abaqus, ANSYS, LS-DYNA,
COMSOL, Code_Aster, FEniCS, deal.II, MOOSE) — as a developer, not only a user.
- Nonlinear FEA: large deformation, contact, plasticity, creep, or viscoplasticity.
- Parallel programming: OpenMP, MPI, or multithreaded C++.
- Direct and iterative sparse solvers (MUMPS, PARDISO, SuperLU, hypre/BoomerAMG,
PETSc) and graph partitioning (METIS/ParMETIS).
- Mesh generation, mesh quality metrics, or computational geometry.
- Semiconductor packaging or PCB background: 3D-IC, HBM stacks, solder reliability,
warpage.
- Development on Windows, and on Linux; Git or Perforce.
We’re doing work that matters. Help us solve what others can’t.Skills Required
- PhD in Mechanical, Civil, Aerospace Engineering, Computational Mechanics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field
- Alternatively, an MS in a related field with at least 2 years of relevant industry or research experience
- Strong grounding in continuum mechanics and the finite element method
- Working knowledge of heat transfer and/or thermomechanical stress analysis
- Strong C++ C++11 or later skills, including pointers, memory ownership, templates, and debugging
- Familiarity with sparse linear algebra and at least one sparse solver or library
- Ability to validate work using analytical solutions, refined meshes, or patch tests
- Clear written and spoken English and ability to collaborate effectively
- Experience developing commercial or open-source FEA software such as Abaqus, ANSYS, LS-DYNA, COMSOL, Code_Aster, FEniCS, deal.II, or MOOSE
- Experience with nonlinear finite-element analysis
- Parallel programming experience with OpenMP, MPI, or multithreaded C++
- Experience with direct or iterative sparse solvers and graph partitioning
- Mesh generation, mesh quality metrics, or computational geometry experience
- Semiconductor packaging or PCB experience
- Development experience on Windows and Linux
- Experience with Git or Perforce
Cadence Design Systems Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cadence Design Systems and has not been reviewed or approved by Cadence Design Systems.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — A discounted ESPP with a lookback feature and equity included in total compensation make ownership broadly accessible and potentially meaningful. Structured compensation at an industry leader adds predictability to equity participation.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage are described as solid, with mental‑health/EAP and fertility support enhancing the offering. The breadth across core care and family‑building needs strengthens the healthcare package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Global Recharge Days, volunteer time off, and companywide breaks indicate a comprehensive time‑off framework. In addition, many salaried roles are described as having flexible or generous PTO policies.
Cadence Design Systems Insights
What We Do
Cadence enables electronic systems and semiconductor companies to create the innovative end products that are transforming the way people live, work and play. Cadence® software, hardware and IP are used by customers to deliver products to market faster. The company's Intelligent System Design strategy helps customers develop differentiated products—from chips to boards to intelligent systems—in mobile, consumer, cloud, data center, automotive, aerospace, IoT, industrial and other market segments. Cadence is listed as one of Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For.
