ASIC Digital Design, Staff Engineer

Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Engineering

Employee

Apply

Overview

Our Hardware Engineers at Synopsys are responsible for designing and developing cutting-edge semiconductor solutions. They work on intricate tasks such as chip architecture, circuit design, and verification to ensure the efficiency and reliability of semiconductor products. These engineers play a crucial role in advancing technology and enabling innovations in various industries.

Job Description

Date posted 08/17/2026

Category Engineering Hire Type Employee Job ID 18334 Remote Eligible No Date Posted 08/17/2026

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

Position Overview

We are looking for a Staff Engineer to join our SerDes PHY IP firmware team and work alongside fellow engineers on PCS/PMA firmware for our next-generation SerDes PHY IP, supporting multiple protocols such as PCIe, Ethernet, and MIPI M-PHY. This is a senior individual-contributor role focused on hands-on firmware design and development, silicon bring-up, and customer issue resolution as a core member of the team.

What You'll Be Doing

Develop firmware for next-generation SerDes PHY IP supporting multiple protocols, including PCIe, Ethernet, and MIPI M-PHY.
Design and maintain firmware for PHY startup, offset calibration, and adaptation flows.
Analyze and debug interactions between firmware, analog/mixed-signal front-end circuits, and digital PCS/PMA blocks.
Collaborate closely with systems, analog design, digital design, verification, and lab teams during firmware development and debugging.
Support and enhance existing firmware applications and features.
Develop and maintain firmware development infrastructure and tools.
Develop and improve firmware documentation to enhance customer usability and support.
Investigate and resolve customer-reported firmware issues and failures.
Lead firmware integration, debugging, and silicon bring-up activities on assigned areas.
Contribute to improvements in firmware design methodologies and system-level architecture through collaboration with cross-functional teams.

The Impact You Will Have

Advance the development of high-performance firmware for next-generation technologies.
Enhance the functionality and reliability of Synopsys' SerDes PHY IP products.
Optimize system performance through post-silicon bring-up, characterization, and debugging activities.
Improve customer satisfaction through robust firmware solutions and comprehensive documentation.
Drive innovation in firmware design methodologies and system-level architecture.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver integrated solutions that push the boundaries of technology.

What You'll Need (Required)

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
8+ years of experience in a related field.
Understanding of both digital logic and firmware/software development, with in-depth specialization in either.
Hands-on experience with assembly-level firmware development for embedded controllers or custom PHY sequencer ISAs.
Working knowledge of high-speed SerDes fundamentals and familiarity with at least one high-speed SerDes standard (e.g., PCIe, Ethernet, MIPI M-PHY, USB, or DisplayPort).
Experience with structured firmware development, verification, and documentation processes.
Familiarity with embedded software toolchains, including cross-compilers, assemblers, and on-target debuggers.
Ability to read and debug Verilog RTL (e.g., PHY FSM/sequencer RTL) to reason about firmware–hardware interactions.
Business-level English communication skills, both written and verbal, to work effectively with global cross-functional teams and customers.

Preferred Qualifications

Deep expertise in PCIe, Ethernet, or MIPI M-PHY protocol layers.
Experience with multi-protocol SerDes PHY architectures.
RTL design or verification experience.
Scripting experience with Perl, Python, Bash, or Csh.
Silicon bring-up and lab debugging experience, including waveform tools (e.g., Verdi/FSDB), scopes, or BER testers.
Experience developing DSP microcode or firmware for other custom-ISA processors beyond PHY sequencers.
Experience with Perforce or Git-based version control workflows.
Experience using AI-assisted development tools for code review, documentation, or test generation.

The Team You'll Be Part Of

Your recruiter will share more about the team structure and mission during the interview process.

Rewards and Benefits

We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non-monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.

At Synopsys, we want talented people of every background to feel valued and supported to do their best work. Synopsys considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, military veteran status, or disability.

Apply

Benefits

At Synopsys, innovation is driven by our incredible team around the world. We feel honored to work alongside such talented and passionate individuals who choose to make a difference here every day. We're proud to provide the comprehensive benefits and rewards that our team truly deserves.

Visit Benefits Page

Health & Wellness

Comprehensive medical and healthcare plans that work for you and your family.
Time Away

In addition to company holidays, we have ETO and FTO Programs.
Family Support

Maternity and paternity leave, parenting resources, adoption and surrogacy assistance, and more.
ESPP

Purchase Synopsys common stock at a 15% discount, with a 24 month look-back.
Retirement Plans

Save for your future with our retirement plans that vary by region and country.
Compensation

Competitive salaries.

** Benefits vary by country and region - check with your recruiter to confirm

Get an idea of what your daily routine around the office can be like

Explore Seongnam-si

View Map

Hiring Journey at Synopsys

Apply

When you apply to join us, your resume, skills, and experience are first reviewed for consideration.

Phone Screen

Once your resume has been selected, a recruiter and/or hiring manager will reach out to learn more about you, share more about the role, and answer any questions you might have.

Interview

Next up is interviewing (in person or virtual). You’ll be invited to meet with members of the hiring team to discuss your skills and experience, and what you’re looking for in your next role.

Offer

Congratulations! When you have been selected for the role, your recruiter will reach out to make you a verbal offer (a written offer will follow your conversation), and we hope you accept!

Onboarding

There will be some steps you need to take before you start to ensure a smooth first day, including new hire documentation.

Welcome!

Once you’ve joined, your manager, team, and a peer buddy will help you get acclimated. Over the next few weeks, you’ll be invited to join activities and training to help you ramp up for a successful future at Synopsys!

BROWSE JOBS