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# Lead Software Engineer: AI for Hardware Verification

- **Company:** Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
- **Location:** San Jose, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $119,000.0 - $221,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** JavaScript (Programming Language), Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, C++ (Programming Language), Computer Engineering, Continuous Integration, Software Debugging, Emulators, Python (Programming Language), Open Source Technology, Software Product Management, Regression Testing, Software Engineering, SystemVerilog, Tcl (Programming Language), TypeScript, Verilog, VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL), Large Language Models, AI Platforms, Information Technology, Low Latency, Vlsi Design, Software Version Control, Programming Languages
- **Published:** September 29, 2026
- **Apply:** https://cadence.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/External_Careers/job/SAN-JOSE/Lead-Software-Engineer--AI-for-Hardware-Verification_R56507

## About the Role

* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience; typically 4+ years with a Bachelor's, 2+ years with a Master's, or PhD-level preparation in related software development.
 * Strong Python skills and software engineering fundamentals, including APIs, testing, debugging, maintainability, Unix/Linux environments, and distributed development workflows.
 * Hands-on experience building AI-enabled applications, agentic workflows, or automation services using LLM APIs, open-source models, enterprise AI platforms, and orchestration tools such as LangGraph, LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI, or similar frameworks.
 * Understanding of modern RAG and agentic AI patterns, including retrieval, chunking, embeddings, vector or hybrid search, reranking, tool calling, workflow orchestration, human-in-the-loop review, and traceability.
 * Ability to evaluate, secure, and debug AI product behavior using golden datasets, regression tests, hallucination checks, prompt and retrieval analysis, observability traces, quality metrics, and responsible AI practices.

Nice to have:

 * Experience developing software using version control systems and modern CI/CD practices.

 * Experience with other programming languages such as C++, Tcl, or JavaScript/TypeScript.
 * Knowledge or experience with design verification, emulation, prototyping, or hardware-assisted debug workflows.
 * Knowledge or experience with EDA and VLSI design, including Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL.
 * Exposure to practical AI application security, such as prompt-injection awareness, safe tool integration, access control, input/output validation, or secure handling of design data.

## Description

* Design and develop AI-enabled software components for emulation and prototyping workflows, balancing reliability, maintainability, security, latency, cost, and integration with existing product architecture.
 * Build LLM-based agents, RAG workflows, and automation services that improve design bring-up, verification, debug, and validation while recommending product enhancements beyond defect fixes.
 * Apply secure and responsible AI practices, including data protection, access control, prompt-injection awareness, safe tool use, auditability, and careful handling of sensitive design data.
 * Create and execute testing, evaluation, and observability workflows for assigned AI product areas, covering regression tests, retrieval quality, model-output review, tracing, and failure analysis.
 * Serve as a technical resource for peers and less-experienced engineers, collaborating with internal partners, senior individual contributors, and managers to deliver high-quality AI-enabled software.