Project Design Lead (EX) - San Jose, United States
$188,760 - $188,760 USD yearly
Originally posted 10 March 2026 by the employer.
About the role
The Project Design Lead designs digital logic circuits for integration into mixed-signal integrated circuits and conducts applied research into machine learning techniques to improve digital design and verification flows.
What you'll do
- Design digital logic circuits including finite state machines, control logic, data path components, and interface blocks based on product requirements. - Perform static design verification including Lint checking, Clock Domain Crossing (CDC) analysis, and Reset Domain Crossing (RDC) analysis. - Generate behavioral models of analog or mixed-signal components using SystemVerilog and Verilog-A to enable early mixed-signal simulation. - Build FPGA prototypes for digital logic emulation, run application-level scenarios, and collaborate with firmware teams on pre-silicon validation. - Participate in post-silicon bring-up by analyzing lab measurements, identifying root causes, and comparing silicon behavior with simulation models. - Develop scripts, ML models, or AI-based tools to optimize verification workflows, automate debugging, and enhance RTL code quality and coverage metrics.
What you'll need
- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with 2 years of experience in digital IC design and verification (or Bachelor's degree with 4 years of experience). - 2 years of experience with digital circuit design and verification for mix-signal chip products. - 2 years of experience with RTL design using Verilog or SystemVerilog. - 2 years of experience using simulation tools, including Cadence Xcelium, to debug design issues in RTL and analyze RTL code coverage. - 2 years of experience with static design checks including Lint, CDC, and RDC. - 2 years of experience with FPGA prototyping, pre-silicon validation, and post-silicon debugging. - 2 years of experience using AI/ML tools in digital design automation.
Skills: digital IC design, RTL design, SystemVerilog, FPGA prototyping, AI/ML tools
This role has been open 122 days — well above the 63-day median for Digital/RTL Design roles.
Digital/RTL Design · RTL Design
|
Open roles in category
1078
|
Median days open
63 d
|
Median salary
$185k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Nexperia | All employers we track in this specialty (1078 roles · 103 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 1 | 1078 |
| Open roles in the wider Digital Design & Verification family | 4 | 3298 · 115 employers |
| Median days open | 122 d | 63 d (+59 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $185k |
Skills observed across this category: digital IC design, RTL design, SystemVerilog, FPGA prototyping, AI/ML tools
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 157 open roles · median 59 d
- Synopsys · 88 open roles · median 36 d
- AMD · 76 open roles · median 41 d
- Analog Devices · 49 open roles · median 52 d
- NXP Semiconductors · 42 open roles · median 91 d
- NVIDIA · 40 open roles · median 63 d
How we counted: 1078 open Digital/RTL Design (RTL Design) roles from 103 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 23 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Digital Design & Verification family row. Figures refresh nightly.