Sr. Manager, Physical Design Engineering, Annapurna Labs

Amazon is hiring a Sr. Manager, Physical Design Engineering, Annapurna Labs in Austin, United States. It pays $277k-$350k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

Builds AI ●●●● is how Level rates this role: the job is building AI systems.
Tools and skills the posting cites include Synopsys, Cadence and asic.
Level classifies it as a lead role.
Level lists 20,000+ other open roles at Amazon.

AI in this role

Senior Manager of Physical Design Engineering to build and lead teams delivering multi-billion-transistor ML accelerator SoCs.

SynopsysCadence

asicsocphysical-designhardwareml-accelerators

Annapurna Labs, designs custom silicon powering AWS’s cloud infrastructure. Custom SoCs live at the heart of Amazon ML servers — including Inferentia and Trainium Systems — delivering high-performance ML inference and training at cloud scale.

We’re looking for a Senior Manager, Physical Design Engineering to build and lead a world-class Physical Design team delivering multi-billion-transistor ML accelerator SoCs on latest tech nodes.

Key job responsibilities
- Build, hire, and develop a physical design team of 10-15 engineers. Own headcount planning, performance management, career growth, and organizational scaling to support multiple concurrent tapeouts.

- Own the physical design strategy and execution roadmap across Inferentia, Trainium, and future products: implementation architecture, hierarchical methodology, PPA target-setting, and technology node adoption.

- Institutionalize continuous PPA improvement: benchmarking frameworks, regression tracking, design-quality dashboards, post-tapeout retrospectives, and structured improvement programs that compound across generations.

- Provide hands-on technical leadership on the hardest problems: multi-GHz timing closure, PDN architecture, high-speed I/O physical design, and 2.5D / 3D cross-die integration.

- Lead technology node enablement for 2nm and beyond: PDK evaluation, reference flow development, PPA pathfinding, and adoption recommendations.

- Define and deploy innovative RTL2GDS methodologies and CAD flows. Champion AI/ML-augmented design automation (RL-placement, ML-guided ECO, predictive analytics). Optimize cloud infrastructure for PD compute.

- Serve as part of senior technical interface with foundry partners and EDA vendors on tool roadmap, co-development, and technology co-optimization.

- Own tapeout execution: readiness reviews, foundry submittal, mask data coordination, and post-silicon yield learning. Drive cross-functional alignment with RTL, DFT, STA, Package, and Validation teams.

Basic qualifications

- 5+ years people management leading PD teams of 8+ engineers, including hiring, performance management, and organizational growth.
- 10+ years hands-on ASIC/SoC physical design across multiple advanced nodes (7nm, 5nm, 3nm) with multiple successful tapeouts.
- Technical depth across full RTL-to-GDSII: floorplanning, CTS, routing, timing closure, PDN design, IR-drop/EM signoff, physical verification, and tapeout.
- Mastery of both EDA ecosystems: Synopsys (Fusion Compiler/ICC2, PrimeTime, StarRC, RedHawk-SC) AND Cadence (Innovus, Tempus, Quantus, Voltus). Physical verification with Siemens Calibre (DRC, LVS, PERC).
- Deep expertise in advanced STA (MMMC, POCV/AOCV, SSTA, PBA, IR-aware timing) and power integrity (static/dynamic IR-drop, EM, rush current, Ldi/dt, package-aware analysis).
- Proven expertise in high-speed PD (multi-GHz datapaths, SerDes, DDR5, HBM, PCIe Gen5+, UCIe) and low-power design (UPF, power gating, DVFS, retention).
- Experience with hierarchical methodologies for very large SoCs (>1B transistors). Expert scripting in TCL, Python, Perl.

Preferred qualifications

- Experience leading PD for AI/ML accelerators, GPUs, or high-performance data-center SoCs at leading semiconductor companies or hyperscalers.
- Direct 3nm GAA/Nanosheet experience; 2nm or sub-2nm engagement. Familiarity with CFET and backside power delivery (BSPDN).
- Quantifiable track record of continuous PPA improvement and metric-driven flow development across multiple projects and nodes.
- Strong program execution: managing concurrent tapeouts, milestone tracking, risk identification, and executive communication.
- Hands-on 2.5D/3D integration experience (CoWoS, EMIB, InFO, SoIC, Foveros) and chiplet strategy with UCIe.
- Track record deploying AI/ML-driven design methodologies in production flows.
- Experience with CPO, HBM4, silicon photonics, or CXL physical design.
- Multi-foundry technology assessment experience (TSMC, Samsung, Intel Foundry Services).
- Experience managing geographically distributed teams (U.S., Israel, global).
- Experience scaling PD organizations through 2x–3x growth. Patent portfolio or industry standards contributions (UCIe, IEEE).

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, CA, Cupertino - 277,400.00 - 350,000.00 USD annually
USA, TX, Austin - 241,200.00 - 325,600.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Sr. Manager, Physical Design Engineering, Annapurna Labs at Amazon rates 85 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Sr. Manager, Physical Design Engineering, Annapurna Labs is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $277k-$350k a year.
The role is based in US, TX, Austin.
The job was posted on September 22, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by Amazon. Apply on Amazon

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

AsicSocPhysical DesignHardwareML AcceleratorsSynopsysCadence

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where asic was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where soc was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where physical design was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where hardware was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where ml accelerators was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Asic, Soc, Physical Design, Hardware, and ML Accelerators. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.

Get your CV reviewed before you apply

Send your CV and the role you want next. Your review arrives by email within 3 days.

Get a free CV review Check your resume with the ATS resume checker