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Senior Staff Physical Design Timing Engineer (STA)

Lightmatter
Full Timestaff
Boston, MAPosted Yesterday

Role Overview

Lightmatter is hiring a Senior Staff Physical Design Timing Engineer (STA). This is a full-time role in Boston. posted yesterday. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.

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Job description

Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.

Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!

If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.

Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!

About this role

We are hiring a Physical Design Timing Engineer to help drive backend digital execution for some of the leading photonics based interconnect solutions. You will work alongside a team of world-class scientists and engineers in defining how the system will be optimized and trailblaze problems that are new to the industry. If your passion is innovation, solving challenging technical problems and doing impactful work you should join our team.

In this job you will be responsible for timing constraints development, STA and timing closure on  leading edge CMOS technologies and flows. This includes synthesis through place and route, timing closure, and tapeout signoff.

Responsibilities

  • Drive the STA sign-off  for our flagship Silicon photonics chips at various technology nodes. 
  • Analyze fab guidelines and work with the methodology team to incorporate sign off corners, margins, and derates into timing analysis flows and methodologies.
  • Collaborate with the  architecture, RTL, and DFT teams to analyze the timing complexities and develop consolidated timing modes and constraints for synthesis, along with PnR and chip timing sign-off flows.
  • Analyze and understand the tradeoffs between power/performance and area goals to drive them into overall chip implementation flows.
  • Run full-chip STA and accurately project the timing summary across scenarios.
  • Leverage Tempus/PrimeTime to automate timing ECO generation for effective closure and support physical design implementation.
  • Document best practices and lessons learned to drive continuous improvements in future projects.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer engineering
  • 12 years of Physical Design experience, with a minimum of 5 years hands-on experience in ASIC STA and timing constraints development, timing closure with Cadence or Synopsys tools 
  • Experience in driving timing closure by effectively managing on-chip variation derates, optimizing multi-mode multi-corner constraints, and implementing robust clock tree building strategies
  • Well versed with scripting languages like TCL and Python, PERL, or Shell
  • Strong problem solving skills with attention to every technical aspect
  • Be a strong team player with clear and precise communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer engineering
  • A minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience in ASIC STA and timing constraints development, timing closure with Cadence or Synopsys tools 

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

Salary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance-based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.
$217,000$267,000 USD

Benefits

  • Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
  • Retirement Savings Matching Program
  • Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
  • Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Short Term & Long Term Disability
  • Training & Development
  • Commuter Benefits
  • Flexible, hybrid workplace model
  • Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)

Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

Export Control

Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws. 

About Lightmatter

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Senior Staff Physical Design Timing Engineer (STA) position at Lightmatter?

Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Lightmatter. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.

Where is the Senior Staff Physical Design Timing Engineer (STA) position at Lightmatter located?

This position is based in Boston. Lightmatter has not indicated remote or hybrid options for this role, so candidates should plan for on-site work.

What does a Senior Staff Physical Design Timing Engineer (STA) at Lightmatter earn?

Lightmatter has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.

When was the Senior Staff Physical Design Timing Engineer (STA) role at Lightmatter posted?

This role was posted on July 9, 2026 (yesterday). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.

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