Sr. Principal IC Digital Flow AE
Taken at the midpoint of its range, $212,000/yr, this role pays more than the middle Sales Engineering & Solutions opening on the board today ($190k/yr); the usual band for that kind of seat is $144k–$305k/yr.
The posting
At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.
As an expert Digital Implementation and Signoff Field Applications Engineering (AE) , you will work side-by-side with our leading edge customers. With your expertise, you'll help them deploy Cadence’s market-leading technologies in Synthesis, P&R, and Signoff to meet/exceed their PPA targets, achieve faster design closure, and turn their design concepts into reality. The greater your powers, the more business opportunities you'll help bring to the table. You will also work directly with the Cadence R&D group to drive the customer requirements and influence the direction of Cadence next-generation products and technologies.
At Cadence, customers are at the heart of everything we do. Talented leaders like you are what enable us to materialize this passion into results. By working directly with Cadence R&D and driving customer engagements, you will enhance your in-depth knowledge in nanometer design, unlock unique expertise in digital design implementation, and level up your communication, customer, and sales skills.
Key Responsibilities
- Be part of team of Application Engineers providing technical support to Cadence customers in the areas of Backend Digital Design Implementation and Signoff including Place and Route, Design Closure, and timing/power signoff
- Guide customers on how to best utilize Cadence technologies to achieve their design goals and meet project schedules
- Collaborate with team to conduct technical presentations and product demonstrations
- Drive technical evaluations/benchmarks to success
- Work closely with R&D to enhance the tools and methodologies to meet and exceed customer’s requirements
- Drive adoption and proliferation of Cadence tools and technologies
- Provide guidance to the team to amend & augment the flow as needed using Tcl and/or other programming skills to meet objectives and improve results/flows
- Capture best practices and lessons learned from current evaluations/benchmarks and utilize to improve efficiency and success rate in next engagements
Job Requirements
Minimum
- 10+ years of industry Physical Design experience
- BS degree Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical, Engineering, or related field
- Strong knowledge in Digital Design Fundamentals, Semiconductor fundamentals, and Static Timing Analysis is required
- Prior experience with IC digital implementation flows and backend EDA tools including Place and Route, IR Drop, backend design timing and power closure
- Experience with advanced nodes 10nm and below
- Experience in scripting languages such as Tcl/Perl/Python is a must
- Strong customer-facing communication and problem-solving skills
- Strong personal drive for continuous learning and expanding professional skill sets
- Strong verbal, written, and customer communication skills
Preferred
- MS degree Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical, Engineering, or related field
- Prior experience with IC digital implementation flows and font-end EDA tools including Synthesis, DFT, and Logical Equivalence Checking
- Prior experience with Cadence tools such as Genus, Innovus, Conformal, Tempus, Modus, Voltus or ICC, ICC2, DC or Primetime is highly desired
- Experience with advanced nodes 5nm and below
The annual salary range for California is $148,400 to $275,600. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the salary range is a guideline and compensation may vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies and work location. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more.
Taken from Cadence's own posting, last seen live on 31 Oct 2026.
About Cadence
Electronic design automation software, Palladium and Protium emulation hardware, design IP, custom silicon services and engineering simulation (mechanical CAE, CFD, molecular modeling), sold to chipmakers, systems companies, automakers and drug discovery teams.
Pay schedule: Cadence pays a base salary with incentive compensation (an OTE plan for sales roles, bonus for others) and equity eligibility, with a 401(k) match and an employee stock purchase plan in the US and private medical cover, a group pension and 25 days of holiday in the UK.
Sales roles close to this one




Principal Account Executive, Commercial (Midwest) (shows the role here)
SentinelOne · AE · Remote· 1mo agoDetails
$176,000–$242,000/yr OTE
Principal Customer Success Manager - Pharma (shows the role here)
H1 · Customer success · Remote· 3mo agoDetails
$145,000–$160,000/yr
The one who runs the technical demo?
Hiring managers ask us for sellers with a certain segment, territory or track record. Fill in one profile, and when a seat matches it we make the introduction, never without your yes. It costs you nothing.
Cadence sales openings in your inbox
We look at Cadence's careers page every hour. Once a week you get its newest sales openings, plus close matches at other companies. Free, and one click stops it.