Physical Design Engineer Jobs in Massachusetts
Physical Design Engineer jobs in Massachusetts are in steady demand, concentrated in semiconductor design, defense electronics, and advanced computing hardware, with openings for candidates from entry-level layout roles through senior principal engineers. The largest hiring clusters are in the Greater Boston area, Woburn, and Burlington, where established employers such as Analog Devices, Raytheon, and Broadcom maintain significant engineering operations. The most sought-after specialties include place-and-route, static timing analysis, and low-power physical implementation. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 7+ Physical Design Engineer jobs
Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Physical Design Engineer to work on the implementation of complex digital blocks. In this role, you will leverage your expertise in advanced process nodes (3nm) to drive timing closure, power integrity, and physical verification for high-performance ASICs. Beyond standard digital flows, you will have the unique opportunity. To work alongside a team of world-class scientists and engineers in defining how the system will be optimized and trailblaze problems that are new to the photonics industry! If your passion is innovation, solving challenging technical problems and doing impactful work you should join our team!
Responsibilities
- Implement digital blocks in advanced tech nodes from synthesis through physical verification, using industry standard tools and flows
- Drive fullchip STA signoff, review constraints, debug timing reports and implement ecos
- Drive power analysis and optimization while balancing area and performance trade-offs
- Drive full chip floor planning, IO placement and clock distribution
- Understand clock details and be able to customize clock implementation for functional and test clocks
- Debug and clean up DRC/LVS
- Functional and timing ECO implementation
- Work with EDA companies to resolve any tool issues
- Write TCL, Python, or Shell scripts to automate flow or customize existing flows
Qualifications
- Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering
- 12+ years of industry experience working as a Physical Design Engineer
- Must have completed blocks or top level physical design for large ASICs or mixed signal chips that taped out
- Thorough knowledge of timing closure, LVS/DRC closure
- Experience in TCL and Python (or other scripting languages)
- Strong teamwork skills with the ability to collaborate with multiple functional teams across a variety of fields
- Ability to react to change and thrive in a fast paced environment
Preferred Qualifications
- Masters Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering with 8 years of industry experience
- Hands-on experience with Cadence tools
- Tape-out experience 3nm designs
- Be willing to do manual layouts as well as willingness to learn and do silicon photonics layout
- EM/IR analysis using standard industry signoff tools
Benefits
- Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Savings Matching Program
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Paid Family Leave
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.
Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Physical Design Engineer to work on the implementation of complex digital blocks. In this role, you will leverage your expertise in advanced process nodes (3nm) to drive timing closure, power integrity, and physical verification for high-performance ASICs. Beyond standard digital flows, you will have the unique opportunity. To work alongside a team of world-class scientists and engineers in defining how the system will be optimized and trailblaze problems that are new to the photonics industry! If your passion is innovation, solving challenging technical problems and doing impactful work you should join our team!
Responsibilities
- Implement digital blocks in advanced tech nodes from synthesis through physical verification, using industry standard tools and flows
- Drive fullchip STA signoff, review constraints, debug timing reports and implement ecos
- Drive power analysis and optimization while balancing area and performance trade-offs
- Drive full chip floor planning, IO placement and clock distribution
- Understand clock details and be able to customize clock implementation for functional and test clocks
- Debug and clean up DRC/LVS
- Functional and timing ECO implementation
- Work with EDA companies to resolve any tool issues
- Write TCL, Python, or Shell scripts to automate flow or customize existing flows
Qualifications
- Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering
- 12+ years of industry experience working as a Physical Design Engineer
- Must have completed blocks or top level physical design for large ASICs or mixed signal chips that taped out
- Thorough knowledge of timing closure, LVS/DRC closure
- Experience in TCL and Python (or other scripting languages)
- Strong teamwork skills with the ability to collaborate with multiple functional teams across a variety of fields
- Ability to react to change and thrive in a fast paced environment
Preferred Qualifications
- Masters Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering with 8 years of industry experience
- Hands-on experience with Cadence tools
- Tape-out experience 3nm designs
- Be willing to do manual layouts as well as willingness to learn and do silicon photonics layout
- EM/IR analysis using standard industry signoff tools
Benefits
- Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Savings Matching Program
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Paid Family Leave
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.
See All 7 Physical Design Engineer Jobs in Massachusetts
Find roles in Massachusetts that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Physical Design Engineer JobsPhysical Design Engineer Jobs by City in Massachusetts
Where Massachusetts roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Physical Design Engineer Job Market in Massachusetts
A snapshot from current Massachusetts openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
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What Massachusetts Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in physical design engineer jobs across Massachusetts.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering or a closely related field
- Hands-on experience with industry-standard place-and-route tools such as Cadence Innovus or Synopsys ICC2
- Proficiency in static timing analysis and timing closure across multiple process nodes
- Experience with low-power design techniques including clock gating and power domain implementation
- Strong scripting skills in Tcl or Python for flow automation and design analysis
- Familiarity with physical verification tools including DRC, LVS, and antenna checking
Physical Design Engineer Jobs in Massachusetts: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a physical design engineer in Massachusetts?
A bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related field is the standard entry requirement, and many Massachusetts employers prefer candidates with a master's degree for senior roles. Physical design engineering carries no state-issued license in Massachusetts, so hiring is driven by demonstrated tool proficiency and relevant coursework or industry experience. Strong preparation includes internships at Massachusetts semiconductor or defense electronics firms and a portfolio showing layout or timing closure work.
Which companies hire physical design engineers in Massachusetts?
Companies currently hiring physical design engineers in Massachusetts include Apple, Lightmatter, and Cisco, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Massachusetts's concentration of semiconductor design centers and defense electronics contractors means physical design roles appear across a range of employer sizes, from global chipmakers to specialized design houses in the Greater Boston corridor.
Which Massachusetts cities have the most physical design engineer jobs?
The cities with the most physical design engineer openings in Massachusetts are Boston, Waltham, and Maynard. The concentration reflects Greater Boston's dense cluster of semiconductor firms and defense electronics contractors, while suburban locations such as Woburn and Burlington host major design centers for companies that chose those corridors for proximity to Route 128 engineering talent.
Are there remote physical design engineer jobs in Massachusetts?
Yes, but they're less common than in purely software-focused engineering roles, because physical design work often requires access to proprietary EDA tool licenses, secure design environments, and lab resources. About 67% of physical design engineer openings tied to Massachusetts are remote or hybrid as of August 2026. The portions of the role most likely to be performed remotely include scripting, timing analysis review, and design collateral documentation.
How can I get hired as a physical design engineer in Massachusetts with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a graduate-level role or internship at a Massachusetts semiconductor or defense electronics employer, where companies such as Analog Devices and Raytheon regularly bring on new engineers through structured associate programs and co-op pipelines fed by Massachusetts universities. Candidates can also move laterally from adjacent roles such as RTL design, FPGA implementation, or verification engineering. A strong academic project involving place-and-route or a publicly documented chip tape-out gives candidates a concrete edge in initial screenings.
Where can I find and apply to physical design engineer jobs in Massachusetts?
You can find and apply to physical design engineer jobs in Massachusetts on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings tied to the state. Find roles that match your experience and specialization, then apply directly to the ones that fit.
See All 7 Physical Design Engineer Jobs in Massachusetts
Find roles in Massachusetts that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Physical Design Engineer Jobs