CAD Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara, CA
CAD Engineer jobs in Santa Clara are concentrated in the Central Expressway corridor, the Lawrence Expressway tech belt, and the San Tomas Aquino district, driven by semiconductor, electronics, and aerospace hardware employers. Companies actively hiring include NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Ampere Computing. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 47+ CAD Engineer jobs
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > CPU EngineeringGeneral Summary:
Join the Nuvia/CPU team - our mission is to reimagine silicon and create computing platforms that will transform the industry. You will have the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and passionate engineers in the world to create designs that push the envelope on performance, energy efficiency and scalability.
You will build and support the world’s best implementation tools and flows. Your tools and flows will ensure our custom CPUs to have industry-leading power, performance and area.
Responsibilities
- Work closely with worldwide cross-functional teams across design & CAD
- Enablement of 3DIC/multi die in either existing flows or developing new flows
- Implementation/Planning flows (such as TSV’s during floor planning)
- Support Static Timing / Extraction across multiple dies
- Support power integrity flows across multiple chiplets
- Architect, maintain and support these flows, and resolve project-specific issues
- Work with EDA vendors to define roadmap and to resolve tool issues
Qualifications:
- Bachelors/Masters degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science
- Total of 8 years of educational + industry experience
Preferred Qualifications:
- Ten+ years of hands-on experience in development of high-performance chips - either in a design or CAD role
- Experience with Innovus, Primetime, Star-RC or equivalents
- Experience with advanced technology nodes (5nm or lower)
- High level of programming proficiency (Python and Tcl) and data structures a plus
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here . Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies : Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits :
$175,600.00 - $263,400.00The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link .
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers .
Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > CPU EngineeringGeneral Summary:
Join the Nuvia/CPU team - our mission is to reimagine silicon and create computing platforms that will transform the industry. You will have the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and passionate engineers in the world to create designs that push the envelope on performance, energy efficiency and scalability.
You will build and support the world’s best implementation tools and flows. Your tools and flows will ensure our custom CPUs to have industry-leading power, performance and area.
Responsibilities
- Work closely with worldwide cross-functional teams across design & CAD
- Enablement of 3DIC/multi die in either existing flows or developing new flows
- Implementation/Planning flows (such as TSV’s during floor planning)
- Support Static Timing / Extraction across multiple dies
- Support power integrity flows across multiple chiplets
- Architect, maintain and support these flows, and resolve project-specific issues
- Work with EDA vendors to define roadmap and to resolve tool issues
Qualifications:
- Bachelors/Masters degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science
- Total of 8 years of educational + industry experience
Preferred Qualifications:
- Ten+ years of hands-on experience in development of high-performance chips - either in a design or CAD role
- Experience with Innovus, Primetime, Star-RC or equivalents
- Experience with advanced technology nodes (5nm or lower)
- High level of programming proficiency (Python and Tcl) and data structures a plus
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.
Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here . Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies : Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits :
$175,600.00 - $263,400.00The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link .
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers .
See All 47 CAD Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara
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Find CAD Engineer JobsCAD Engineer Job Market in Santa Clara
Who's Hiring
- NVIDIA14
- Qualcomm11
- Ampere Computing7
- Apple4
- Velaura4V
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software14
- Electronics & Hardware7
- Telecommunications4
CAD Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a cad engineer job in Santa Clara?
The strongest path into a Santa Clara cad engineer role is through the semiconductor and hardware electronics sectors, which dominate local hiring far more than in most U.S. cities. Employers in the Central Expressway corridor and near Great America Parkway favor candidates with hands-on SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or Cadence experience. Familiarity with PCB layout, VLSI design, or mechanical enclosure work for consumer electronics gives candidates a clear edge in this specific market.
Which companies hire cad engineers in Santa Clara?
Employers hiring cad engineers in Santa Clara right now include NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Ampere Computing, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Santa Clara's employer base skews heavily toward semiconductor fabs, chip design firms, and hardware-focused tech companies, with a smaller but active presence from aerospace and defense contractors operating near the city's industrial corridors.
Are there remote cad engineer jobs in Santa Clara?
Yes, but only in a limited share of roles, since most cad engineering work in Santa Clara involves hands-on prototyping, lab access, or on-site collaboration with hardware teams. About 44% of cad engineer openings tied to Santa Clara are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, concentrated in the design review, documentation, and 2D drafting functions rather than full 3D modeling or fabrication-adjacent positions.
How can I get a cad engineer job in Santa Clara with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Santa Clara is targeting junior or associate drafter roles at mid-size semiconductor equipment companies and electronics contract manufacturers, which hire more entry-level cad talent than the large flagship tech firms. Internship programs tied to Santa Clara's hardware accelerators and familiarity with tools like Altium Designer or SolidWorks basics can open doors. Building a portfolio of documented design files, even from personal projects, gives you a concrete differentiator with local hiring managers.
Which industries hire the most cad engineers in Santa Clara?
The sectors hiring the most cad engineers in Santa Clara are Technology & Software, Electronics & Hardware, and Telecommunications, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Santa Clara's position at the heart of Silicon Valley's chip design and hardware manufacturing ecosystem means demand is unusually concentrated in semiconductor and electronics hardware, driving consistent cad engineering openings year-round.
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