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Celerocommunicationsinc VERIFIED EMPLOYER

Principal Physical Verification Engineer.

Hardware & Semiconductor Engineering

Principal Physical Verification Engineer: our view in 3 lines...

  • The Role:This role is for a principal engineer focused on full-chip physical verification for advanced semiconductor designs.
  • The Person:The person will lead full-chip physical verification, run and analyse DRC, ERC, LUP and PERC results, build verification flows, and work with analog and physical design teams to prepare designs for tapeout.
  • Requirements:The ideal candidate has a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field, 7+ years of experience with full-chip verifications, and experience with Synopsys IC Validator, Siemens Calibre, Tcl, Python, or shell scripting.

About the role

Celero Communications is a fast-growing semiconductor startup developing high-performance coherent DSP technology for next-generation AI infrastructure. We recently announced a $275M Series C following the validation of the industry’s first 2nm coherent DSP silicon. Bloomberg also reported that Alphabet’s CapitalG has backed Celero at a $3B valuation. As we continue to grow, we’re hiring exceptional talent across the United States, Canada, and Argentina for a variety of exciting opportunities.

We are seeking a Full-Chip Physical Verification Engineer to join our Physical Design team and help deliver complex digital blocks and full-chip implementations in advanced process technologies. This role will own all aspects of Physical Verification execution on advanced TSMC nodes, ensuring design quality, manufacturability, and tapeout readiness. The ideal candidate has successfully completed multiple tapeouts and brings deep expertise in physical verification methodologies, including driving improvements in quality, execution efficiency, and predictable delivery across multiple programs. You will work closely with the Analog Design and Physical Design teams to identify and resolve verification challenges while ensuring designs meet aggressive performance, manufacturability, and schedule objectives.

Key Responsibilities
Team & Project Leadership
• Lead full chip Physical Verification effort
• Own execution plans, schedules for full-chip
• Drive accountability for quality, milestones, and tapeout readiness.
• Conduct full chip and blocks PV checks

Physical Verification Ownership
• Ownership of full chip verification
• Work with internal analog team to ensure clean IP delivery
• Responsible for running and analyzing DRC/ERC/LUP/PERC results
• Experience with using either ICV or Calibre verification tools
• Understanding advance TSMC DRC rules

Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with analog, block, chip top owners to ensure clean floorplan
• Provide early guidance on corner case requirements
• Influence floorplan constraints, hierarchy, and implementation strategy
• Participate in tapeout readiness reviews

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of experience with full-chip verifications

Proven hands-on experience with:
• Physical Verification tools (Synopsys IC Validator (ICV), Siemens Calibre) 
• Able to assemble a flow to support block/chip level PV

Strong expertise in:
• Floorplanning to avoid DRC/LVS issues
• Provide guidance to analog IP team to allow for clean integration

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in advanced technology nodes (7nm, 5nm, 3nm)
• Automation skills using Tcl, Python, or shell scripting

Annual Base Salary Range: $150,000 - $250,000 (The final offer will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and location)

Published September 22, 2026
Location San Jose, CA