Principal Digital Verification Engineer

Location: Nepean, Nepean, Canada

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 building verification environments for complex digital designs where mistakes show up as silicon respins or customer escalations. The difference between a PHY that passes regression and one that works in production is something you understand deeply, and it shapes how you write testplans, model coverage, and design infrastructure. 

The testbenches you build are meant to last. You have inherited enough unmaintainable code to know what matters when a project needs to scale across multiple product generations. Working across distributed teams is something you have done enough times to know when to align closely with architects on protocol details and when to just push forward on debug with RTL and firmware engineers in other time zones. 

Technical reviews matter to you because that is where you can catch verification risks before they become schedule problems. At Synopsys, you will work on memory interface IP with a team that takes verification seriously as its own discipline, not just a gate before tapeout. 

What You'll Be Doing 

• Develop comprehensive testplans and functional coverage models for training firmware running on RTL models of memory PHYs 
• Build and maintain testbench infrastructure in SystemVerilog and UVM that supports complex verification scenarios across multiple product generations 
• Create test cases that cover success paths, corner cases, and negative scenarios based on standard specifications and feature enhancements 
• Debug complex issues across firmware, RTL, and testbench layers using simulation and waveform analysis tools 
• Participate in technical reviews with architecture and implementation teams to influence design decisions from a verification perspective 
• Research and evaluate emerging technologies in virtual prototyping and emulation to improve team efficiency, throughput, and quality 
• Mentor junior engineers on testbench design, debugging techniques, and verification methodology while collaborating with other principal-level engineers on verification strategy 

The Impact You Will Have

• Your testplans and coverage models will define the quality bar for memory interface IP that powers next-generation products across the industry 
• The testbench infrastructure you build will accelerate verification cycles and enable the team to scale as new product lines come online 
• Your debugging expertise will catch critical issues before they reach customers, protecting both product schedules and Synopsys reputation 
• Technical reviews you contribute to will shape architecture decisions early, preventing costly verification bottlenecks downstream 
• New verification technologies you evaluate and adopt will directly improve team productivity and reduce verification time 
• Engineers you mentor will carry forward the verification rigor and problem-solving approach that makes complex IP actually work 
• Your work with customers (on simulation debug or post-silicon bring-up debug) will strengthen their confidence in our IP and inform future product roadmaps 

What You'll Need 

• BSc in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field with 12+ years of verification experience, MSc with 10+ years, or PhD with 8+ years 
• Deep proficiency in SystemVerilog and UVM, with a track record of building reusable testbench components and verification environments 
• Strong command of simulation tools, waveform debuggers, and the ability to trace issues across multiple abstraction layers 
• Solid understanding of C and experience with software/hardware co-simulation 
• Experience with assertion-based verification, coverage analysis, and protocol-oriented performance debug 
• Comfort working in Linux environments with scripting for regression systems, build automation, and source control workflows 
• Experience with virtual prototyping or emulation platforms is a strong plus, as is knowledge of LPDDR5/5X and LPDDR6 or other memory interface standards 

Who You Are 

• You can read a functional spec and immediately start sketching out the test scenarios that will stress the design in ways the architects did not anticipate 
• You work effectively across distributed teams without needing constant check-ins, you know when to sync up and when to just make progress 
• You bring a point of view to design reviews and you are not afraid to flag a verification risk even if it means pushing back on a schedule 
• You balance thoroughness with pragmatism, you know when a testbench needs another week of work and when it is good enough to start finding real bugs 
• You explain complex verification trade-offs clearly enough that an architect or project manager understands the risk without needing a deep dive into UVM internals 

The Team You'll Be Part Of 

You will join the IP Group in Ottawa, a team focused on developing interface IP solutions for memory interfaces. The team is international, with members collaborating across multiple time zones to deliver IP that ships into high-volume products. You will work alongside other principal-level verification engineers, contributing to verification strategy while also building and executing on testplans. The group values technical depth, rigorous methodology, and the kind of verification work that actually prevents customer issues rather than just checking compliance boxes. 

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.