Principal Design Engineer - Controller

Posted:
7/7/2026, 12:47:50 PM

Location(s):
Puerto Rico, United States ⋅ Ponce, Puerto Rico, United States

Experience Level(s):
Expert or higher ⋅ Senior

Field(s):
Software Engineering

Workplace Type:
On-site

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Job Title: Principal Design Engineer
Location: Shanghai, China
   
Job Summary
We are looking for a Principal Design Engineer to drive the development of advanced USB4 Controller IP.
 
Primary Responsibilities
• Serve as a technical leader and senior design expert for high-performance USB4 Controller IP development.
• Drive key architecture and design decisions for the USB4 controller with a strong understanding of power, performance, area, feature, and product requirements.
• Lead frontend design activities for USB4 controller development from specification and micro-architecture through RTL implementation, subsystem integration, and design reviews.
• Define and implement key controller functions such as register architecture, DMA/data movement flows, interrupt handling, link and power management related control logic, and host/system interfaces.
• Drive controller-to-PHY integration, including interface definition, bring-up readiness, interoperability considerations, and issue resolution across subsystem boundaries.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to team members, while promoting engineering quality and execution excellence.
• Work closely with verification teams on test planning, coverage closure, debug strategy, and root-cause analysis for complex design issues.
• Collaborate with firmware, validation, and lab teams on bring-up, compliance-related debugging, and pre-/post-silicon issue investigation to ensure successful USB4 controller project delivery.
• Partner with project management and global cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality IP on schedule.
• Support IP integration, release readiness, and customer delivery activities.
• Explore and apply AI-assisted methods where appropriate to improve engineering efficiency in areas such as design analysis, issue triage, automation scripting, and technical knowledge sharing.
 
Position Requirements
• MS or BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience.
• 8+ years of hands-on ASIC design experience delivering advanced Controller IP and/or ASIC/SoC products.
• Strong knowledge of digital architecture, RTL design, verification methodology, and end-to-end ASIC development flows.
• Solid understanding of controller IP architecture and one or more industry-standard protocols at the controller, transaction, or link layer, such as USB, PCIe, Ethernet, MIPI, or similar standards.
• Strong understanding of controller design concepts, including AMBA-based bus interfaces, DMA architecture, descriptor-based data transfer, register programming models, and interrupt systems.
• Good understanding of controller-to-PHY integration, post-silicon validation, and the system-level role of controller IP in complex SoCs.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, and influence design direction across cross-functional teams.
• Customer-focused mindset with the ability to align internal execution to meet or exceed customer expectations.
• Strong team-oriented attitude, innovative thinking, and a practical, results-driven approach.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills in both English and Mandarin.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and capable of handling multiple tasks effectively.
 
Preferred Qualifications
• Direct experience with USB4, USB 3.x, or other high-speed interface controller architectures is a strong plus.
• Direct experience developing high-speed interface Controller IP in advanced process nodes.
• Experience with controller-PHY interface standards such as PIPE, UTMI/ULPI, or similar interfaces.
• Experience working with embedded microcontrollers, DSPs, or firmware development related to Controller IP.
• Experience with Cadence ASIC design tools and development environments.
• Interest in or experience with AI-assisted engineering tools for productivity improvement, data analysis, debug support, or documentation automation.

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Cadence Design Systems

Website: https://www.cadence.com/

Headquarter Location: San Jose, California, United States

Employee Count: 5001-10000

Year Founded: 1988

IPO Status: Public

Industries: Aerospace ⋅ Electronic Design Automation (EDA) ⋅ Hardware ⋅ Mobile ⋅ Semiconductor ⋅ Software

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