Physical Design Engineer Jobs in San Jose, CA

Physical Design Engineer jobs in San Jose are highly active, concentrated in North San Jose, Santa Clara border corridors, and the downtown tech core, across semiconductor, EDA software, and fabless chip design sectors. Leading employers hiring right now include Apple, Astera Labs, and Etched. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.

Find Physical Design Engineer Jobs

Overview

Open roles84
Top employerApple
Work type89% On-site
Top credentialBachelor's degree in electrical engineering
Companies hiring12

Showing 5 of 84+ Physical Design Engineer jobs

Broadcom
Physical IC Design Engineer
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Broadcom
Added 2d ago
Physical IC Design Engineer
Broadcom
San Jose, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Product Management
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
10,000+

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Broadcom
Physical Design Engineer
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Broadcom
Added 5d ago
Physical Design Engineer
Broadcom
San Jose, California
Electrical Engineering
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
$144k - $230k/yr
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
10,000+

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TSMC
Advanced Physical Design and Verification Engineer (7036)
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TSMC
Added 6d ago
Advanced Physical Design and Verification Engineer (7036)
TSMC
San Jose, California
Business Operations
Business Strategy
Project Management
$86k - $134k/yr
Hybrid
Master's degree
10,000+

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Astera Labs
Principal Physical Design Engineer
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Astera Labs
Added 1w ago
Principal Physical Design Engineer
Astera Labs
San Jose, California
Product Management
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
$185k - $230k/yr
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering

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Etched
Physical Design Engineer - Flow & Methodologies
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Etched
Added 3w ago
Physical Design Engineer - Flow & Methodologies
Etched
San Jose, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Specialized Engineering

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See All 84 Physical Design Engineer Jobs in San Jose

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Physical Design Engineer Job Market in San Jose

Who's Hiring

  • Apple
    Apple18
  • Astera Labs
    Astera Labs18
  • Etched
    Etched14
  • Broadcom
    Broadcom7
  • TSMC
    TSMC4

Top Industries Hiring

  • Electronics & Hardware42
  • Manufacturing4
  • Technology & Software4

Physical Design Engineer Jobs in San Jose: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a physical design engineer job in San Jose?

Focus your search on San Jose's semiconductor and fabless chip design ecosystem, which is denser here than almost anywhere else in the country. North San Jose and the corridor toward Santa Clara concentrate the most hiring, with roles at chip companies ranging from startups to large foundry partners. Candidates with hands-on experience in place-and-route tools, timing closure, and low-power design techniques stand out in this market.

Which companies hire physical design engineers in San Jose?

Companies currently hiring physical design engineers in San Jose include Apple, Astera Labs, and Etched, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Jose's hiring base skews heavily toward fabless semiconductor firms, EDA tool vendors, and IP licensing companies, making it one of the most concentrated physical design job markets in the country.

Are there remote physical design engineer jobs in San Jose?

Yes, though remote availability is limited by the hands-on nature of the role. Physical design engineering often requires access to licensed EDA tools, secure compute clusters, and collaboration with on-site verification teams, which keeps most roles at least partially on-site. About 11% of physical design engineer openings tied to San Jose are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with remote work most common for upstream floorplanning and scripting tasks rather than tapeout-critical work.

How can I get a physical design engineer job in San Jose with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path in San Jose is through an internship or junior role at a fabless semiconductor startup, where smaller teams give early-career engineers hands-on exposure to full chip flows faster than large companies typically do. San Jose's concentration of EDA vendors also hires application engineers who support physical design tools, which is a strong lateral move for candidates building foundational skills before moving into a core design role.

Which industries hire the most physical design engineers in San Jose?

Most physical design engineer openings in San Jose sit in Electronics & Hardware, Manufacturing, and Technology & Software, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Jose's role as the geographic center of Silicon Valley means semiconductor IP development, custom silicon design for cloud infrastructure, and EDA tooling all draw heavily from the same local talent pool, sustaining consistent demand across those sectors.

See All 84 Physical Design Engineer Jobs in San Jose

Find roles in San Jose that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

Find Physical Design Engineer Jobs