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Real job — pulled straight from Synopsys’s careers page · Verified September 25, 2026 · No reposts.
Job description
Synopsys is hiring a Principal Applications Engineer — a full-time, based in Sunnyvale, CA role. Apply directly on Synopsys's careers page below.
Applications Engineering, Principal Engineer
Location: Sunnyvale, California, United States
We Are
Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.
You Are
You have spent years deep in emulation and prototyping, the kind of work where a single misconfigured compile can cost a team two days and where the difference between a design that runs clean and one that doesn't often come down to how well you understand the platform underneath. You know hardware emulation platforms, whether it is ZeBu, Palladium, or Veloce, not just how to use them but how they break, how to debug them when things go sideways, and how to explain what is happening to a customer who needs their regression running by tomorrow morning.
You are comfortable jumping between virtual prototyping environments and physical FPGA-based platforms or development kits, understanding the tradeoffs and knowing when to recommend one over the other based on what the customer is trying to accomplish. Debugging is where you thrive. You can trace a problem from a failing assertion in SystemVerilog back through the emulation compile flow, the hardware mapping, and the design itself without losing the thread.
Customer service is not a checkbox for you; it is how you work. You know that being technically right does not matter if the customer cannot use the solution, so you take the time to make sure they understand what you are recommending and why. You are task-oriented and can manage multiple customer engagements at once without dropping details, and you work well in team environments where the person next to you might be in a different time zone but still needs your input to unblock their customer. At Synopsys, you will work directly with customers deploying ZeBu and other emulation solutions on some of the most complex designs being built today.
What You'll Be Doing
- Deploy and evaluate Synopsys ZeBu emulation solutions at customer sites, working hands-on with their ASIC and SoC design teams to get systems up and running
- Debug complex technical issues spanning emulation hardware platforms like ZeBu, Palladium, or Veloce, tracing problems through design, compile flows, and hardware mapping
- Provide pre-sales technical evaluations that help customers understand how ZeBu fits their verification strategy and post-sales support that keeps their projects moving
- Work with customers on both virtual prototyping solutions and physical FPGA-based platforms or development kits, recommending the right approach based on their design and schedule
- Develop technical collateral including application notes, reference flows, and best practice guides that help customers adopt and scale emulation in their environments
- Collaborate with Synopsys sales, marketing, and R&D teams to translate customer needs into product requirements and feed real-world deployment learnings back into the platform roadmap
- Manage multiple customer engagements simultaneously, prioritizing tasks and coordinating with team members to ensure timely resolution of technical issues
The Impact You Will Have
- Enable customers to successfully deploy emulation on complex ASIC and SoC designs that would otherwise be impossible to verify at speed
- Reduce time-to-tapeout for customers by resolving critical verification bottlenecks and helping them build robust emulation environments
- Drive adoption of ZeBu across new customer accounts and expand usage within existing ones by proving the platform's value in real deployments
- Shape the future direction of Synopsys emulation products by feeding detailed customer feedback and deployment learnings directly to R&D
- Build long-term customer relationships based on technical credibility and the ability to solve problems that matter to their schedules
- Contribute to the success of some of the most advanced semiconductor designs in development today, from AI accelerators to next-generation processors
What You'll Need
- 8+ years of hands-on experience in emulation or prototyping working on real ASIC or SoC verification projects
- Direct experience with hardware emulation platforms such as Palladium, ZeBu, or Veloce, including deployment, debugging, and customer support
- Strong debugging skills with the ability to trace issues across design, emulation compile flows, and hardware platforms
- Experience with virtual prototyping solutions and physical FPGA-based platforms or development kits
- Proficiency in HDLs such as Verilog and VHDL, and HVLs like SystemVerilog, with the ability to read and debug complex testbenches
- Excellent communication skills and a customer service mindset, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in team environments and manage multiple tasks simultaneously
Who You Are
- You can walk into a customer site where the emulation run is failing and within an hour have a hypothesis about what is wrong, whether it is in the design, the compile, or the platform configuration
- You are comfortable managing three customer escalations at once, knowing which one needs your attention right now and which one can wait until tomorrow without creating a problem
- You can explain why a virtual prototype makes more sense than an FPGA-based solution for early software development to a customer who has already bought the FPGA boards, and do it in a way that helps rather than frustrates
- You do not disappear when a problem gets hard, you pull in the right people, coordinate the debug effort, and stay with it until the customer is unblocked
- You are task-oriented enough to keep detailed notes on every customer interaction and organized enough that someone else on your team can pick up where you left off if needed
- You genuinely enjoy working with customers and take pride in the fact that they call you first when something breaks because they trust you will help them fix it
The Team You'll Be Part Of
You will join a dynamic team focused on delivering the most complete verification solutions in the market. The team leverages Synopsys' industry-leading emulation platform, ZeBu, to deliver unparalleled performance and capacity in emulation. Collaborating with customers, sales, marketing, and R&D teams, you will play a crucial role in driving the successful deployment and adoption of Synopsys' emulation solutions.
Rewards and Benefits
We offer a comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits to cater to your needs. Our total rewards include both monetary and non-monetary offerings. Your recruiter will provide more details about the salary range and benefits during the hiring process.
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Frequently asked questions
What skills are required for Principal Applications Engineer at Synopsys?
The required skills for Principal Applications Engineer at Synopsys include: Verilog, VHDL, SystemVerilog, FPGA, Customer Service.
What is the seniority level for Principal Applications Engineer at Synopsys?
Principal Applications Engineer at Synopsys is a Principal level position.
How do I apply for Principal Applications Engineer at Synopsys?
You can view the full description and apply for Principal Applications Engineer at Synopsys on EchoJobs: https://echojobs.io/job/synopsys-applications-engineering-principal-engineer-ylpe9.