Senior STA Engineer

Senior STA Engineer – Job Description

We are looking for a Senior STA Engineer with strong expertise in Static Timing Analysis, timing signoff, and timing closure for complex ASIC/SoC designs. The candidate will own timing analysis activities across the design flow and work closely with RTL, Synthesis, Physical Design, and Signoff teams to resolve complex timing issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Own STA and timing signoff activities from synthesis through physical design and tape-out.
• Perform MCMM/MMMC timing analysis across all functional and test modes.
• Analyze and debug setup, hold, recovery, removal, min/max, and clock-related violations.
• Develop, review, and validate SDC constraints, including clocks, generated clocks, I/O delays, false paths, multicycle paths, and timing exceptions.
• Perform detailed clock tree and clock timing analysis, including skew, latency, uncertainty, jitter, and clock reconvergence.
• Drive timing closure in collaboration with RTL, synthesis, physical design, and ECO teams.
• Analyze critical timing paths and recommend design, synthesis, placement, routing, or ECO solutions.
• Perform timing analysis considering OCV/AOCV/POCV, derates, SI/crosstalk, and process-voltage-temperature variations.
• Review timing constraints and methodology to ensure signoff-quality timing analysis.
• Support timing ECOs and evaluate their impact across multiple corners and modes.
• Develop and maintain Tcl/Python automation for STA analysis, report generation, and flow optimization.
• Debug complex timing issues and provide technical guidance to junior STA engineers.
• Participate in methodology development, flow improvements, and timing signoff reviews.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure project milestones and tape-out schedules are achieved.

Required Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in Static Timing Analysis and timing closure.
• Hands-on experience with Synopsys PrimeTime, Cadence Tempus, or equivalent STA tools.
• Excellent knowledge of SDC constraints and timing exceptions.
• Strong understanding of ASIC/SoC design, synthesis, physical design, and signoff flows.
• Expertise in MCMM/MMMC analysis.
• Good understanding of OCV/AOCV/POCV, CPPR, SI/crosstalk, derating, and variation-aware timing.
• Strong knowledge of clock-domain timing, clock uncertainty, skew, latency, and clock reconvergence.
• Proficiency in Tcl scripting; Python/Perl scripting is an advantage.
• Strong debugging, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Senior-Level Expectations

• Ability to independently own STA for a block or full-chip design.
• Ability to identify root causes of complex timing violations and drive them to closure.
• Ability to interact effectively with design, RTL, synthesis, PD, CTS, and signoff teams.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and reviewing their STA work.
• Strong ownership, communication, and project-management skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced semiconductor environment and deliver against tight tape-out schedules.

Education

B.E./B.Tech/M.E./M.Tech in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, VLSI, or a related discipline.