Digital Verification Engineer

NEXTHOP SYSTEMS INC.
Santa Clara, CA, United States
6 days ago
Apply on startup.jobs
Prepare application

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Experience level
Experienced
Experience required
3 years minimum
Working hours
Regular working hours
Job source

Tech stack

Test Suite Code Coverage Computer Engineering Software Debugging Logic Synthesis of Circuits Firmware Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Hardware Design SystemVerilog Verilog Application Specific Integrated Circuits ModelSim

Job description

  1. Verification Environment Ownership * Own the testbench: Design, build, and maintain the verification environments for our digital subsystems - from block level through full-chip / subsystem integration - for both FPGA and ASIC targets. * Reusable methodology: Establish and evolve reusable verification components (drivers, monitors, scoreboards, checkers) so new blocks plug into a consistent, maintainable framework instead of one-off testbenches. * Reference modeling: Develop behavioral / reference models where needed to independently predict expected DUT behavior and catch discrepancies automatically.

  2. Test Development & Coverage * Test suites: Author directed and constrained-random tests that exercise functional modes, corner cases, error injection, and reset / clock-domain behavior. * Coverage-driven closure: Define functional and code-coverage goals and drive them to closure - identifying coverage holes and writing the stimulus to fill them. * Assertions: Embed assertions (SVA) to catch protocol and interface violations at the source, close to where they occur.

  3. Simulation, Debug & Regression * Logic simulation: Run and debug simulations using Modelsim / Questasim and NC-Verilog; triage failures to root cause and partner with RTL designers on the fix. * Regression: Stand up and maintain automated regression suites - keeping them fast, deterministic, and green so the team gets rapid feedback on every RTL change. * Waveform debug: Debug efficiently at the waveform level and produce clear, reproducible failure reports that shorten the design-debug loop.

  4. System Bring-up & HW/SW Co-validation * Bring-up support: Support lab bring-up of FPGAs and boards, correlating pre-silicon simulation behavior against real hardware. * Software collaboration: Partner with firmware / software engineers during system bring-up - validating register maps, interfaces, and boot / init sequences across the HW/SW boundary. * Milestone sign-off: Contribute to verification exit criteria for design milestones, documenting coverage and open issues so the team can make informed tape-out / release decisions.

Requirements

  • Experience: 3-7 years of digital verification experience on FPGA or ASIC designs.
  • Language: Proficiency in Verilog (SystemVerilog strongly preferred).
  • Tools: Hands-on experience with logic simulators - Modelsim / Questasim and/or NC-Verilog.
  • Methodology: Solid grounding in logic-simulation and verification fundamentals - testbench construction, constrained-random stimulus, functional / code coverage, and assertions.
  • Education: BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

Strong Pluses

  • Working knowledge of digital design and architecture (RTL design, pipelines, clock-domain crossing, bus / interconnect protocols).
  • Experience collaborating with software / firmware teams on system bring-up and HW/SW co-validation.
  • Structured verification methodology experience (UVM or equivalent).
  • Familiarity with networking / switching datapaths or high-speed interfaces.

Benefits & conditions

  • Zero Functional Escapes: The blocks you verify reach silicon and the field free of functional bugs, because your environment exercised the corner cases before anyone else could hit them.
  • Coverage You Can Defend: Every milestone is cleared with documented functional and code coverage - no block signs off on “it seems to work.”
  • A Regression the Team Trusts: Fast, deterministic regressions catch breakage the same day it’s introduced, so designers refactor with confidence.
  • Bring-up Without Surprises: Because pre-silicon simulation matched real behavior, lab bring-up and HW/SW integration go smoothly - no late-stage firefighting.

FULL_TIME Organization https://startup.jobs/logos/42840 Nexthop Systems Inc None Startups Place

Apply for this position

This job is hosted externally. Click below to view the full posting and apply.

Apply on startup.jobs
Prepare application

Good distractions

Talks and stories from around this role — technically off-topic, practically not.

2:19 min

Orchestrating over-the-air firmware updates for vehicle modules

Denis Grahovac · World Congress 2021

59 sec

State of the art in software verification

Onur Kasimlar Onur Kasimlar · World Congress 2025

2:20 min

Utilizing custom firmware for variable torque manipulation

Daniel Meilak Daniel Meilak +1 · World Congress 2026 Europe

3:20 min

Certifying safety-critical automotive software and deploying progressive testing strategies

David Romić · World Congress 2023

6:44 min

Hardware integration testing suites and autonomous track operations

Denis Grahovac · World Congress 2021

2:13 min

Evaluating Rust for modernizing embedded C firmware

Michael Friedrich Michael Friedrich · World Congress 2026 Europe

Videos

See all

Related articles

See all