Posted by
Chris Canneaux
Chris is an expert in the Semiconductor field across the USA and Europe. Chris is based in our Brighton, UK office and can be contacted on +44 (0) 3303 352 350, ccanneaux@eu-recruit.com or you can connect with him on Linkedin HERE
“I came in touch with Chris during the period in which I was looking for a job. He responded very quickly when I asked for any openings through European Recruitment. Chris’s highlights would be his responsiveness, being well aware of each company’s recruitment laws and very good communication throughout the recruitment process.” January, 2017. LabVIEW Developer, VI Technologies.
Chris is an expert in software and hardware engineering, IC design, and physical design layout & verification roles, concentrating on the Semiconductor market in various sectors.
Here, Chris gives us an overview of a Digital Verification role, by answering some frequently asked questions:
- How much on average do digital verification engineers earn?
This very much depends on the location of the role and the experience of the engineers, but for someone of mid-level experience in Munich, for example, an engineer can expect around €70,000 base salary + benefits and on a contract around €55 per hour depending on the project/client and budget. Munich is a pretty expensive city to live, so often salaries are slightly higher here than elsewhere, so this does vary depending on the country and even the city the role is based in.
- What qualifications will I need?
A BSc or MSc in Electronic Engineering or similar fields are the usual routes into this industry that we see from Digital Verification Engineering. We are starting to see that more Digital Verification Engineers have MSc degrees to help increase chances of securing a job in the industry. Although this is not necessarily needed it will certainly help with making your profile stand out.
- Do I need specific skills and attributes?
Experience in various design languages such as System Verilog, and Verilog and/or VHDL is needed. Along with this you will need some experience in Verification methodologies such as UVM, OVM or specman. Other than the technical skills, clients will often look for soft skills such as communication skills. It is key, as a Verification Engineer, that you are able to communicate and work well within a team environment, but also be able to liaise with other teams to report the findings that your work has produced. Most clients in the USA or Europe are looking for the ability to communicate in English, as teams are often built up of engineers from all over the world, so English as the common language is used.
- What roles can I transition from?
Experience in microelectronics is going to be key with experience in fundamentals of Integrated Circuitry (IC’s). It is rare to see people move from completely different sectors into Digital Verification roles, however it is not uncommon to see someone working more on the Digital Design side to move towards Verification. Similarly, we do sometimes see Software Engineers who have experience working close to the HW move across and use their coding skills to pick up the key languages needed for Digital Verification. Most Verification Engineers like to understand and learn Digital design as well, as this gives them a much better understanding of the limitation that the designers face.
- Why does the digital verification engineer role exist?
A Verification Engineer is supposed to rigorously test the design for all possible bugs and to think of all possible testing scenarios as well as come up with directed and constrained random test cases. The job is very demanding, as if there are issues with the chip after tape out, it is often the verification engineer that is considered responsible. With advancements in technology and therefore more complicated designs the demand for verification has increased. We now see the split between designer and verification engineers around the 50/50 mark, whereas in the past teams would be more design-heavy.
