Sr. Principal Product Engineer

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology. The Product Engineer is a critical bridge between customers, R&D, and business stakeholders, responsible for defining, validating, and delivering high‑quality, production‑ready software solutions. This role owns Pegasus product behaviour from early requirements definition through customer deployment, with a strong focus on correctness, performance, scalability, and usability. In addition to deep domain expertise, the role increasingly leverages AI‑assisted analysis, data‑driven decision making, and automation to improve product quality, predict issues, accelerate root‑cause analysis, and enhance customer outcomes. Key Responsibilities Product Definition & Technical Ownership: Own different parts of Pegasus from requirements definition through release support; translate customer use cases and market needs into clear Product Requirement Specifications (PRS) and collaborate with R&D on functional specifications; review and validate product designs to ensure alignment with customer expectations, architectural standards, and long‑term roadmap goals; act as a recognized product expert, providing consultation and technical guidance across engineering, field, and customer teams. Customer Engagement & Issue Resolution: Partner closely with customers to understand real‑world workflows, diagnose complex issues, and drive timely resolutions; lead investigation of product correctness, performance, and scalability issues using systematic analysis and data‑driven debugging; consolidate customer feedback and production data into actionable insights for product improvement; represent Product Engineering in escalations and customer reviews, ensuring clarity, accountability, and technical credibility. Quality & Release Readiness: Drive release readiness decisions by evaluating quality metrics, risk, and customer impact; collaborate with QA and R&D to improve test coverage, reduce defect escape, and increase predictability of product behavior. AI‑Assisted & Data‑Driven Engineering: Apply AI‑assisted techniques to accelerate root‑cause analysis, performance bottleneck identification, and anomaly detection; leverage data from regressions, customer runs, and field usage to identify patterns, predict failure modes, and prioritize improvements; use scripting and automation (e.g., Python) to build intelligent workflows for triage, validation, and reporting. Cross‑Functional Leadership: Work in a global, cross‑functional environment spanning R&D, QA, Field Applications, and Foundry/Partner teams; lead a review specification and guide technical decision‑making; identify emerging technologies and industry trends that can create competitive or business differentiation. Required Qualifications Strong background in software engineering, EDA tools, or complex technical systems. Experience translating customer requirements into product specifications and production‑ready solutions. Proven ability to debug complex technical issues across correctness, performance, and scalability dimensions. Proficiency in scripting or programming (e.g., Python, Perl, or similar). Experience working directly with customers and distributed engineering teams. Preferred / Differentiating Skills Experience applying AI concepts to engineering problems (analysis, prediction, automation, intelligent diagnostics). Background in semiconductor and EDA environments. Ability to influence product direction and technical strategy beyond immediate assignments. Salary & Benefits The annual salary range for California is $154,000 to $286,000. You may also be eligible to receive incentive compensation: bonus, equity, and benefits. Our benefits programs include: paid vacation and paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, employee stock purchase plan, a variety of medical, dental and vision plan options, and more. Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Cadence is committed to equal employment opportunity throughout all levels of the organization. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, basis of disability, or any other protected class. #J-18808-Ljbffr Cadence Design Systems