Principal Product Engineer - Custom Layout & Virtuoso Applications

What You'll Do

• Engage directly with customers to understand their custom analog design and layout requirements - with particular focus on FinFet-based flows within the Virtuoso platform - and translate those needs into actionable product guidance.
• Attend and contribute to technical review meetings (at Cadence offices and customer sites), delivering presentations and providing expert commentary on product capabilities and roadmap alignment.
• Conduct regular on-site customer visits to deliver education and enablement sessions on the Virtuoso cockpit, debug tool-related issues in context, and capture structured feedback for R&D - filing Change Correction Requests (CCRs) where required.
• Develop and deliver demonstrations and Rapid Adoption Kits (RAKs) that enable the sales team to effectively position Virtuoso products - including delivering training sessions directly to sales and pre-sales teams.
• Build SKILL-based utilities to address specific customer requirements not covered by standard Virtuoso functionality, including defining and executing validation plans before customer delivery.
• Use the Virtuoso platform to create test schematics and layouts, validate newly implemented features, and provide structured feedback to R&D - driving necessary changes through to resolution.
• Author Product Requirement Specifications (PRS) to formalise customer-driven R&D priorities, working within cross-functional teams (CFTs) to achieve alignment across engineering, product, and commercial stakeholders.
• Partner with the Product Validation (PV) team to ensure rigorous validation of customer flows, contributing flow tests for regression testing and quality assurance.
• Collaborate with Technical Publications to ensure documentation is accurate, accessible, and highlights features of strategic relevance to customers.
• Work with marketing to inform tool positioning and licensing strategy based on direct customer feedback and field observations.
• Job Qualifications: Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, or a related field - or equivalent professional experience. 5–8 years of experience in the electronic design automation (EDA) industry or a closely related technical field.
• Demonstrated experience in custom analog layout, including a strong understanding of the challenges specific to analog layout workflows.
• Hands-on experience with the Virtuoso Layout Suite for connectivity-driven layout.
• Familiarity with the SKILL programming language, with the ability to write functional utilities independently.
• Additional Skills/Preferences: Experience with FinFet layout techniques and multi-patterning methodologies.
• Experience with the Virtuoso Analog Design Environment (ADE).
• Knowledge of Innovus and Open-Access frameworks.
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as TCL or Perl.
• Experience working in a customer-facing or field applications engineering role.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical content to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Additional Information: This role sits within Cadence's Product Engineering organisation and works at the confluence of R&D, sales, and customer success.
• Key internal stakeholders include R&D teams, Product Validation, Technical Publications, and Marketing.
• Externally, you will engage regularly with some of Cadence's most technically sophisticated customers across the semiconductor and systems design space.
• Primary tools and platforms include Virtuoso Layout Suite, Virtuoso ADE, the SKILL programming language, and internal Cadence product lifecycle and defect tracking systems.
• Check what we can offer you: Competitive salary 25 days holiday per year Private Medical and Dental plans, Income Protection and Life Insurance Group Personal Pension Plan Cycle to work scheme and gym subsidy 5 days paid time to volunteer to give back to our communities Employee Stock Purchase Plan The opportunity to work for a Great Place to Work© & Fortune 100 organization Cadence is committed to equal employment opportunity and employment equity throughout all levels of the organization.
• We strive to attract a qualified and diverse candidate pool and encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Travel: Occasional travel to customer sites and Cadence offices is expected (estimated <10% of time).
• Most travel will be domestic, with some international travel possible depending on customer base.
• We’re doing work that matters.
• Help us solve what others can’t.