Principal Physical Design Engineer - SoC Floorplanning & Methodology
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 9, 2026. First seen by Alion on Nov 2, 2026. Microsoft scores B on the Alion truth index.
Microsoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is at the heart of Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure, powering the technology behind some of the world’s most widely used digital services, including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Teams, OneDrive, Bing, and Xbox.
Our team designs, develops, and delivers the foundational hardware and infrastructure that enable Microsoft’s cloud services to operate securely, reliably, and at a global scale. With a focus on innovation, performance, efficiency, and sustainability, SCHIE plays a critical role in shaping the future of cloud computing.
As Microsoft’s cloud business continues to expand, delivering cutting-edge hardware solutions at scale, on time, and with quality has never been more important. The AISIE team plays a key role in making this possible by driving engineering excellence, optimising hardware design and manufacturing processes, and supporting the development of high-performance, scalable, and sustainable cloud infrastructure.
About the Role
We are looking for a talented Physical Design Engineer to help shape the next generation of Microsoft’s silicon technology.
In this role, you will take ownership of partition-level floorplanning and physical design optimisation, with a focus on achieving the optimal possible balance of Power, Performance, and Area (PPA).
You will collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to develop and implement innovative physical design solutions that meet current product requirements while anticipating future technology advancements.
Your responsibilities will span the full physical design lifecycle, from synthesis and place-and-route through to final signoff. This includes timing closure, physical verification, electromigration and IR drop (EMIR) analysis, formal equivalence checking, low-power verification, and security implementation.
You will also design and implement robust clock distribution solutions, ensuring that designs meet demanding performance, power, and reliability requirements.
This is an opportunity to work on complex silicon engineering challenges, collaborate with experienced engineers, and contribute directly to the technology powering Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure.
Responsibilities
- Lead and execute Physical Design activities specific focus on floorplan Architecture and Methodology at Sub-chip and SoC levels
- Contribute to Physical Design flow development, automation, and methodology improvements pertaining floorplan and construction.
- Evaluate and recommend technology nodes, IP selection, EDA tools, and vendor solutions.
- Provide clear and concise status updates on progress, risks, and mitigation plans to management.
- Operate with minimal supervision while maintaining attention to detail.
- Support program needs, including occasional travel as required.
- Execute all phases of implementation including:
- Floorplanning
- Synthesis
- Placement and optimization
- Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS) and custom clocking
- Routing
- Power optimization and efficiency analysis
- IR-drop and Electromigration (EM) analysis
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications
Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND relevant technical engineering experience OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND substantial technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND extensive technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.
Additional or preferred qualifications
Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND substantial technical engineering experience OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND extensive technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND significant technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.
Demonstrated experience working on or leading projects from beginning-to-end.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements is required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screening:
· Microsoft Cloud Background Check. This position is required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their U.S. permanent residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate’s citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable.
Silicon Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 93,500.00 - £ 161,800.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.