Lead Design Engineer

Job description

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology. Analog Mixed-Signal Lead Design Engineer (T3) – SerDes

Position Summary

We are seeking an Analog Mixed-Signal Lead Design Engineer (T3) to develop high-speed , low-power SerDes transceivers for data-center, networking, AI, and high-performance computing applications. The engineer will translate system requirements into silicon-ready circuit architectures and collaborate with the architecture, digital, layout, verification, signal integrity , and post-silicon teams.

Key Responsibilities

Design and verify high-speed SerDes blocks, including TX drivers, serializers, RX front ends, CTLEs, samplers, comparators, ADCs, DACs, PLLs, DLLs, clock dividers and distribution networks, regulators, bias circuits, and calibration loops. Translate link-level requirements into circuit specifications and optimize performance across PVT, mismatch, aging, and extracted parasitics . Develop behavioral models and support mixed-signal and top-level verification.

Collaborate with layout and signal-integrity teams on physical implementation, channel/package effects, and post-layout signoff. Support tapeout , silicon bring-up, characterization, debug, and production release. Document results and participate in technical design reviews.

Required Qualifications

B.S. in Electrical Engineering or a related field with 3+ years of relevant experience, or an M.S. with 1+ years. Strong analog CMOS, noise, jitter, feedback, signal-integrity, and data-converter fundamentals. Hands-on transistor-level design experience with high-speed SerDes circuits. Excellent command of Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre , Spectre RF, ADE, parasitic extraction, and mixed-signal verification flows. Strong analytical, communication, collaboration, and engineering judgment.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with PAM4/NRZ SerDes, advanced CMOS or FinFET technologies, and standards such as Ethernet, PCIe, or CXL. MATLAB or C for architecture development; SystemVerilog or Verilog-A for functional modeling; and Perl or Python for automation. Experience using AI-assisted engineering tools responsibly for design exploration, verification, debugging, documentation, and workflow automation. Custom analog layout experience is a plus.

Lab characterization experience is a plus, along with experience taking mixed-signal IP from architecture through tapeout and silicon validation. Success in This Role The ideal candidate combines strong circuit intuition, disciplined verification, ownership, and clear communication to deliver reliable, power-efficient SerDes solutions. We’re doing work that matters. Help us solve what others can’t.