Cadence Design Systems

Senior Principal RF Design Engineer

Cadence Design Systems

3 LocationsFull timePosted Aug 5, 2026

Job description

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology. Experienced Millimeter-Wave (mm. Wave) IC designer specialize in engineering high-frequency (30 GHz+) transceivers and components for 5G/6G communications, aerospace radar, and automotive sensors. Will drive the full product lifecycle, tackling challenges like parasitic extraction, thermal management, and high-frequency electromagnetic modeling.

High level of customer engagement at a fast pace on state of the art design. Requires a deep, specialized skill set: Building Blocks: Deep expertise in designing custom blocks such as Power Amplifiers (PAs), Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs), mixers, and Voltage-Controlled Oscillators (VCOs). RF Subsystem: Deep expertise in designing Tx and Rx signal chains for noise, figure, linearity dynamic range and power efficiency.

Deep experience in RF PLL design including Sigma delta, FRAC-N PLL. Phase noise and spurius signal, settling time. Experience with PLL buildng blocks such as PFD, charge pumps, dividers, multipliers. Architecture: Proficiency in RF transceiver architectures, direct-conversion topologies, and phased-array systems. Signal chain analysis and system figures of merit such as ACPR, EVM and BER.

Process Technologies: Hands-on experience on advanced nodes using RF SOI process and deep knowledge of the required trade offs. Software Tools: Mastery of standard EDA software environments, including: System Simulation: VSS

  • Schematic & Simulation: Cadence Virtuoso and VRF flows Electromagnetic (EM) Simulation: EMX, and Clarity Layout & Verification: Layout MXL, QRC and Pegasus Education: Usually an M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (or a closely related discipline). Experience: 10+ years of industrial experience taking designs from conception through tape-out to final lab validation. Validation: Extensive lab characterization experience utilizing high-frequency equipment like spectrum analyzers, VNAs, and probe stations. We’re doing work that matters. Help us solve what others can’t.