> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3330183-lead-principal-dft-engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3330183-lead-principal-dft-engineer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Lead/Principal DFT Engineer - **Company:** Fractile - **Location:** Bristol, UK - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Software Debugging, Multiprocessing, Physical Design - **Published:** September 5, 2026 - **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/lead-principal-dft-engineer-fractile-8291397 ## About the Role * Strong experience in DFT for complex ASIC/SoC designs (typically 10+ years) * Proven ownership of DFT architecture on at least one large tapeout * Deep expertise in scan, compression, ATPG, and MBIST * Experience with industry tools (Synopsys or Tessent) * Strong understanding of clocking, resets, power domains, and physical constraints * Experience with silicon bring-up, debug, and yield ramp Profile * Comfortable owning ambiguous, high-impact problems * Balances architectural thinking with hands-on execution * Sets direction while staying close to implementation details ## Description * Own and define the DFT architecture for a large AI accelerator SoC (scan, compression, MBIST, LBIST, boundary scan) * Set DFT strategy, methodology, flow and signoff criteria * Drive integration of DFT tools and flows into the overall EDA environment * Define hierarchical DFT approach for multi-core designs and large memory systems * Define scan architecture, compression strategy, and ATPG approach * Define memory test and repair strategy for large embedded RAM * Establish power-aware and at-speed test strategies * Work closely with RTL and physical design to ensure clean DFT integration and timing closure * Work with test and product engineering teams to bring up and debug ATPG patterns on ATE, supporting production test and yield ramp * Mentor and guide DFT engineers ## Related Videos - [The Billion Dollar Machine: First Time Right.](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/393-the-billion-dollar-machine-first-time-right) - [Using AI Without Losing Your Skills](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2045-using-ai-without-losing-your-skills) - [Challenges and Solutions for Efficient, Large-Scale Video Analysis](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2022-challenges-and-solutions-for-efficient-large-scale-video-analysis) - [How to write a book with CSS](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/172-how-to-write-a-book-with-css) - [Fireside Chat with Lea](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/551-fireside-chat-with-lea) - [Strange New Worlds: shaping the future of the digital age](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/677-strange-new-worlds-shaping-the-future-of-the-digital-age) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Basic And Advanced Networking in Dart and Flutter](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/112-basic-and-advanced-networking-in-dart-and-flutter) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [Dev Digest 155: Hashtable breakthrough, Multi-threaded Python and DeepSeek Leaks](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/550-dev-digest-155-hashtable-breakthrough-multi-threaded-python-and-deepseek-leaks) - [The Geometry of Incidents: Connecting User Impact to Architecture](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/764-the-geometry-of-incidents-connecting-user-impact-to-architecture) - [Dev Digest 120 - Apple and peers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/455-dev-digest-120-apple-and-peers)