Research

ASIC Digital Designer - European Organization for Nuclear Research (Geneva)

Contract Type Other

About this position

The summary below is published by European Organization for Nuclear Research on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

CERN designs, develops, and operates particle accelerators and experiments for scientific research to understand the fundamental laws of the universe. These activities may generate stray radiation due to the interaction between beams and matter. The radiation detectors installed close to the various beam lines and targets allow CERN to accurately monitor radiation levels. Within the HSE-TS-IMS Section at CERN, the team is responsible for the design and development of this specialised equipment, as well as its installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance.

Radiation monitoring is essential to enable CERN to operate its accelerator complex and related experiments while fulfilling its legal obligations to protect the public, people working on the CERN site, and the environment. In this stringent context, the TS-IMS Section is developing a new generation of ASICs to interface ionisation chamber signals with safety-critical monitoring systems, meeting challenging performance and reliability requirements.

**Your responsibilities**

You will work among a team of engineers and technicians to:

* Design, simulate, and verify the digital architecture of the next-generation…

Excerpt shown; read the full notice on the official page. The structured breakdown below covers the key facts.

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: 24 months.

Position details

Reference
HSE-TS-IMS-2026-189-GRAE
Last Verified
23 July 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for ASIC Digital Designer at CERN based in Geneva (Other). The vacancy reference is HSE-TS-IMS-2026-189-GRAE. The role falls under the Research domain.

CERN designs, develops, and operates particle accelerators and experiments for scientific research to understand the fundamental laws of the universe. These activities may generate stray radiation due to the interaction between beams and matter. The radiation detectors installed close to the various beam lines and targets allow CERN to accurately monitor radiation levels. Within the HSE-TS-IMS Section at CERN, the team is responsible for the design and development of this specialised equipment, as well as its installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance.

Radiation monitoring is essential to enable CERN to operate its accelerator complex and related experiments while fulfilling its legal obligations to protect the public, people working on the CERN site, and the environment. In this stringent context, the TS-IMS Section is developing a new generation of ASICs to interface ionisation chamber signals with safety-critical monitoring systems, meeting challenging performance and reliability requirements.

Your responsibilities

You will work among a team of engineers and technicians to:

* Design, simulate, and verify the digital architecture of the next-generation ASIC front-end. * Prepare RTL designs for tapeout using open-source EDA flows, including floorplanning and physical design preparation. * Support post-fabrication bring-up, system characterisation, and functional/performance validation. * Collaborate closely with analogue, verification, and SoC integration teams to ensure seamless system-level compatibility.

Your profile

* Hands-on experience with open-source ASIC EDA flows (Yosys, OpenROAD, LibreLane, etc.) from RTL to GDSII. * Experience with floorplanning, constraint definition, and physical design preparation for tapeout. * Post-tapeout prototype bring-up and hardware debugging experience is advantageous. * Active contributions to open-source hardware projects or EDA toolchains are advantageous. * Experience developing SoC submodules is advantageous.

Skills

* HDL design and simulation in VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog. * Good team player:collaboration skills across analogue, digital, verification, and SoC teams. * Proficiency in Git, CI/CD pipelines, and automated verification workflows. * Knowledge of RISC-V architecture. * Familiarity with mixed-signal integration and digital interface protocols. * Comfort with Linux-based development environments and scripting for automation (Python, Bash, etc.). * Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.

Eligibility criteria:

* You are a national of a [CERN Member or Associate Member State](https://home.cern/about/member-states). * By the application deadline, you have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Electronics (or a related field) and your highest educational qualification is either a Bachelor's or Master's degree. * You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before. * Applicants without University degree are not eligible. * Applicants with a PhD are not eligible.

Job closing date: 17.08.2026 at 23:59 CEST.

Contract duration: 24 months

Working hours: 40 hours per week

Job flexibility: Hybrid

Target start date: 01-October-2026

Job reference: HSE-TS-IMS-2026-189-GRAE

Field of work: Electrical or Electronics Engineering

Benchmark job: 200050 - Electronics Engineer

Global Benefits

* A monthly stipend between 5266-5793 Swiss Francs per month (tax free) depending on your degree. * 30 days of paid leave per year plus 2 weeks annual closure. * Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health insurance scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund. * Family, child and infant monthly allowances depending on your individual circumstances. * A relocation package (installation grant and travel expenses) depending on your individual circumstances. * Possibility to extend your contract up to 36 months. * On-the-job and formal training including language classes.

Overview of CERN -Discover a world where the impossible is made possible!

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, we are pushing the frontiers of science and technology. Our groundbreaking work brings together not only physicists but also a diverse range of professionals from engineering, technical, scientific, and administrative fields. Together, we foster an environment where innovation and collaboration thrive.

Every day, we face exciting new challenges and opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge research that shapes our understanding of the universe. We meet these challenges through the diverse perspectives within our teams, ensuring every contribution is valued and driving our shared sense of inclusion and purpose. Diversity is a core value of CERN since its foundation, and it remains central to our mission and continued success.

If you are ready to be part of a dynamic, inclusive community pushing the boundaries of knowledge, CERN is the place where your curiosity and skills can thrive. Be part of our mission to uncover what lies at the heart of the universe!TAKE PART!

More information about us, here:[careers.cern](https://careers.cern/)

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 20 July 2026, 2 days ago.

No closing date is published in the source feed for this position. EU vacancies typically remain open for four to eight weeks; check the official vacancy notice for the cut-off date and time.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 23 July 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at CERN see the CERN institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Geneva see our Geneva location page; for related vacancies in the Research field browse our Research domain page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.

Career trajectory

Career progression for this grade staff is governed by Articles 44 to 46 of the Staff Regulations (consolidated text on EUR-Lex) and Annex IB on the promotion procedure. Step increases are automatic every two years (Art. 44); grade promotion is competitive, based on the appraisal exercise (Art. 45) and the Career Development Review. For roles at CERN, progression to the next grade typically takes three to five years on merit, with two-yearly step increases in between. Article 46 governs the classification at recruitment, which sets the starting step within the grade (usually step 1 for external recruits without prior EU service, step 2 or 3 where relevant professional experience is recognised).
Mobility within the institutions is encouraged via the inter-institutional and intra-institutional vacancy publication system: temporary agents who pass the probation period and reservists from EPSO laureate lists can typically apply to internal vacancies after one year of service. Lateral moves between Directorates-General reset the seniority clock for promotion only if the new post carries a different grade.

Language profile

Beyond the formal language requirements stated in the vacancy notice, the day-to-day working languages at this employer are English and French in roughly equal measure, with German appearing in some technical files. Internal meetings and most policy drafting in Brussels run in English; French remains the preferred internal language in Luxembourg-based services and parts of DG TRADE.

Application cadence

CERN has not advertised another comparable role with the same grade and Research signature in the past twenty-four months. This opening has rarely been seen on the EU Careers feed and may be the first such posting in our two-year window. Applicants who pass the eligibility checks should not assume the same profile will reopen on a predictable cadence.

Source: This job listing was sourced from the official EU Careers portal (EPSO). First published: .

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