{"id":191659,"url":"https://alion.io/job/positron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior","title":"Mid-End ASIC Engineer, Senior","company":{"id":63106,"name":"Positron AI","domain":"positron.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/positron-ai","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Rippling","truth_index":null},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Austin, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":190000,"max":280000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":280000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":12,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Cadence Genus","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Synopsys Design Compiler","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-31T20:43:35Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-31","last_verified_at":"2026-10-26T02:08:52Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":86,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":86},"description":"About Positron AI\nPositron AI specializes in developing custom hardware systems to accelerate AI inference. These inference systems offer significant performance and efficiency gains over traditional GPU-based systems, delivering advantages in both performance per dollar and performance per watt. Positron exists to create the world's best AI inference systems.\nRole Overview\nWe're looking for an exceptional Senior Mid-End ASIC Engineer to own synthesis, timing convergence, implementation readiness, and logical design quality across our AI accelerator roadmap. This is a deeply technical, hands-on engineering role responsible for transforming high-quality RTL into implementation-ready netlists while driving timing closure strategy, constraint development, physical-aware optimization, and close collaboration between RTL designers and backend implementation partners. You will serve as the technical bridge between architecture, RTL, verification, and physical implementation.\nKey Responsibilities\nSynthesis Methodology & Ownership\nDefine and own synthesis methodology across current and future ASIC generations, including scalable flows for RTL synthesis, constraint development, timing budgeting, QoR optimization, incremental synthesis, and hierarchical implementation.\nEstablish signoff criteria and methodology for synthesis deliverables.\nHands-On Synthesis & Constraint Development\nOwn hands-on synthesis using industry-leading EDA tools, including Cadence Genus and Synopsys Design Compiler (or equivalent).\nDevelop and maintain SDC constraints, clock definitions, false paths, multicycle paths, generated clocks, and MMMC environments.\nDrive continuous improvement of synthesis QoR.\nTiming Closure Leadership\nOwn logical timing closure and drive optimization across frequency, area, power, congestion, and wireability.\nPerform root-cause analysis of timing bottlenecks and develop timing budgets across all chip partitions.\nCollaborate closely with architecture and RTL teams to eliminate timing risks before physical implementation.\nPhysical-Aware Optimization\nPartner closely with backend implementation engineers to drive physical-aware synthesis, retiming, register balancing, pipeline optimization, logic restructuring, and hierarchical timing budgeting.\nEnsure RTL is implementation-friendly from the outset.\nCross-Functional Execution\nPartner closely with architecture, RTL, verification, physical design, DFT, IP providers, and backend design services to drive rapid issue resolution.\nVendor Technical Leadership\nServe as Positron's synthesis technical lead with external implementation partners, reviewing QoR, timing, area reports, and constraint methodology, and defining acceptance criteria.\nAI-Enabled Engineering\nApply AI to improve timing analysis, QoR regression, constraint generation, timing debug, report analysis, documentation, and engineering automation.\nRequired Qualifications\n12+ years of ASIC implementation experience, including multiple successful tapeouts.\nExpert-level proficiency in synthesis methodology and flow development.\nDeep expertise in timing closure across complex, multi-million-gate designs.\nExpert-level command of Cadence Genus and/or Synopsys Design Compiler.\nStrong SDC expertise, including constraint development and MMMC environments.\nA solid grasp of RTL design principles and implementation-friendly coding practices.\nHands-on experience with advanced process nodes at 5nm and below.\nStrong Tcl and Python scripting ability for automation and flow development.\nExcellent debugging and root-cause analysis skills.\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience with AI accelerators, CPUs, or GPUs.\nFamiliarity with LPDDR, PCIe, or SerDes interfaces.\nExposure to chiplet-based architectures and multi-clock SoC designs.\nLeveling & Scope\nWhile this role is currently posted at a specific level, we are a growth-oriented organization and are open to hiring at a more senior level for the right candidate. Please note that this job description serves as a focused but generalized overview of the role; specific responsibilities and impact expectations will be tailored to the experience and seniority of the final hire.\nWhat Success Looks Like\nWithin one year, this person will have established a production-grade synthesis methodology, delivered predictable timing closure, reduced implementation iterations, produced high-quality implementation-ready RTL, and built a scalable methodology to support future ASIC generations.\nWhy Join Us?\nPlay a foundational role in shaping the synthesis and timing closure methodology for next-generation AI inference accelerators.\nWork at the cutting edge of AI hardware, directly influencing chips built to power frontier AI workloads.\nCompensation & Benefits\nThe base salary range for this role is $190,000 - $280,000.\nPlease note that the figures provided represent the base salary range only and do not include other elements of our total compensation package, equity, or comprehensive benefits.\nAt Positron AI, we value the unique expertise each candidate brings. While the range above reflects our typical expectation for the position, we reserve the flexibility to exceed this range for candidates whose specialized skills, significant experience, or unique qualifications fall outside the standard scope of the role. Final offers are determined based on a variety of factors, including internal equity, and individual impact.\nBenefits & Perks\nWe want you to do your best work and feel confident that you and your family are taken care of. That means comprehensive coverage, real time to rest, and support for your future.\nHealth and wellness\nFully company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents\nCompany-paid life and disability coverage, with voluntary options to add more\nSupplemental hospital, critical illness, and accident coverage available\nTime off and flexibility\nUnlimited paid time off - we encourage everyone to truly unplug and recharge\n13 paid company holidays\nRemote-first culture with a company-provided computer and home office setup\nCompensation and future\nCompetitive salary and equity\n401(k) with company matching, eligible from day one\nVisa Support\nThis position is open to candidates currently authorized to work in the U.S. We cannot provide new visa sponsorship for this role but are open to facilitating H-1B visa transfers for eligible candidates.\nEqual Opportunity Employer. If you're excited about the role but don't meet every bullet, we'd still love to hear from you.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6522,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":12,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Home office","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Servers & Data Center Hardware","AI Compute & Inference","AI Chips & Accelerators"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-02T17:00:11Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 5","filings_12m":5,"filings_prev_12m":1,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":300500,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)"],"filings_for_role_12m":2}],"liveness":{"score":44,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.791,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":85,"expected_fill_days":63,"reasons":["conf:2","velocity","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-25T05:49:26Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":280000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/positron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/positron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-26T04:43:44Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":6277,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-27T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":63106},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=63106"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fpositron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fpositron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fpositron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/positron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fpositron-ai-mid-end-asic-engineer-senior"}]}