Physical Design Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA
Physical Design Engineer jobs in San Diego are concentrated in Sorrento Valley, UTC, and Torrey Pines, where defense electronics, semiconductor, and wireless technology companies cluster. Employers hiring right now include Apple, Qualcomm, and Meta. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Imagine what you can do here. Apple is a place where extraordinary people gather to do their lives best work. Together we create products and experiences people once couldn't have imagined, and now, can't imagine living without. It's the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do.
Description
APPLE INC has the following available in San Diego, California. Build full chip clock trees, perform specification generation, clock planning involving design and construction of recombinant networks. Automate clock tree specification generation for clock construction and distribution across the dies to meet all the clock tress specifications, latency, and power. Work with logic design team to understand partition architecture and drive physical aspects early in the design cycle. Complete netlist to GDS2 implementation for partition(s) meeting schedule and design goals. Conduct timing, physical and electrical verification, and drive the signoff closure for the partitions. Resolve design and flow issues related to physical design, identify potential solutions and drive execution. 40 hours/week. At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $175,000 - $263,300/yr and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. PAY & BENEFITS: Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits: https://www.apple.com/careers/us/benefits.html. Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.
Minimum Qualifications
- Master’s degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, related field and 2 years of experience in the job offered or related occupation.
- Experience and/or education must include:
- Building clock networks for high-performance CPU cores, ensuring minimal latency on the latest technologies.
- Analyzing interconnect delays, parasitics, and coupling, and understanding the impact on system performance.
- Optimizing interconnect wire delays for optimal dynamic power performance.
- Working with FinFET and GAA standard cell technologies to perform physical design achieving best performance, power, and area.
- Building full chip clock trees, spec generation, clock planning involving design and construction of recombinant networks.
- Automating clock tree spec generation for clock construction and distribution across the dies to meet all the clock tress specs, latency and power.
- Utilizing industry standard EDA tools including Synopsys or Cadence with the understanding of the algorithms driving them.
- Performing static timing analysis, physical design verification analysis and place and route methodology in achieving best PPA.
Preferred Qualifications
- N/A
This position is not subject to the application limits.
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant
At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace
Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants
Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.
See All 18 Physical Design Engineer Jobs in San Diego
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Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware
- Telecommunications
- Technology & Software
- Consulting & Professional Services
Physical Design Engineer Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a physical design engineer job in San Diego?
San Diego's physical design engineer market is driven by semiconductor companies, defense contractors, and wireless technology firms concentrated in Sorrento Valley, UTC, and the Torrey Pines corridor. Candidates with hands-on experience in timing closure, place-and-route, or low-power design for mobile or defense applications stand out locally. Familiarity with tools common in RF and mixed-signal environments gives applicants a concrete edge over generalists.
Which companies hire physical design engineers in San Diego?
Companies currently hiring physical design engineers in San Diego include Apple, Qualcomm, and Meta, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's employer base skews toward fabless semiconductor firms, defense electronics primes, and wireless chipset developers, many of which maintain large in-house physical design teams.
Are there remote physical design engineer jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though remote opportunities are limited because physical design work often requires access to secure EDA tool environments and collaboration with on-site hardware teams. About 0% of physical design engineer openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with hybrid arrangements most common for backend verification and signoff tasks that don't require physical lab access.
How can I get a physical design engineer job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Diego is targeting associate or junior physical design roles at mid-size fabless semiconductor companies in Sorrento Valley, which often hire new graduates from UCSD or San Diego State for place-and-route support work. Internships at local defense electronics firms also convert frequently to full-time offers. Building proficiency in Cadence Innovus or Synopsys ICC2 and completing a tapeout project, even in an academic context, signals readiness to local hiring teams.
Which industries hire the most physical design engineers in San Diego?
Most physical design engineer openings in San Diego sit in Electronics & Hardware, Telecommunications, and Technology & Software, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Diego's concentration of wireless chipset development, Navy and defense program work, and consumer electronics R&D creates consistent demand across all three sectors.
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