Software Engineer II - Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Cadence is a pivotal leader in electronic design, building upon more than 30 years of computational software expertise. The company applies its underlying Intelligent System Design strategy to deliver software, hardware and IP that turn design concepts into reality.

Cadence customers are the world’s most innovative companies, delivering extraordinary electronic products from chips to boards to systems for the most dynamic market applications including consumer, hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, aerospace industrial and health.

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Job Title: Software Engineer II

Location: London, United Kingdom

Reports to: Sr Principal Software Engineer

Job Overview:

This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career software engineer to join Cadence’s Solver team and contribute to high-performance, physics-based simulation software used by engineers around the world. Working alongside experienced engineers and computational scientists, you will build and extend tools that model complex physical systems, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications spanning meshing, solvers, and flow networks.

This role is designed for someone eager to grow their software engineering craft in a technically rich, collaborative environment where your work has real-world impact.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain software features that extend solver capabilities across CPU and GPU platforms, guided by senior engineers.
• Implement new functionality in pre- and post-processing code, ensuring correctness, performance, and maintainability.
• Collaborate with software engineers, product managers, and technical account managers to understand requirements and deliver high-quality solutions.
• Participate in sprint planning, sprint reviews, and feature design meetings, contributing to project planning and continuous improvement.
• Debug and troubleshoot defects in a systematic way, maintaining application performance and code quality.
• Write and maintain unit tests, integration tests, and regression tests as part of the standard development workflow.
• Engage in code reviews to give and receive constructive technical feedback, supporting a culture of quality and shared ownership.

Job Qualifications:

• A degree (or equivalent experience) in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a closely related technical discipline.
• Proficiency in modern C++ (C++17/20) through academic projects, coursework, or personal/open-source work.
• Strong mathematical foundations, particularly in areas relevant to physical simulation (e.g. linear algebra, differential equations, numerical methods).
• An understanding of software development fundamentals: version control (e.g. Git), testing practices, and structured problem-solving.

Additional Skills/Preferences:

• Exposure to CFD principles or numerical methods, through study or personal projects.
• Familiarity with parallel computing concepts or frameworks (e.g. OpenMP, MPI).
• Any experience with GPU APIs such as CUDA.
• Experience working in an Agile development team.
• Background in scientific or engineering software, scientific visualisation, or CAD tools.
• Clear and confident communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Methodical, process-oriented approach to software development.
• Ability to manage time effectively and prioritise tasks in a deadline-driven environment.

Additional Information:

You will join a collaborative Solver team working at the intersection of scientific computing and production software engineering. The team operates using Agile methodologies with regular sprint cycles, design reviews, and cross-functional collaboration.

You will have access to experienced mentors and structured onboarding to help you develop quickly. Tools and technologies in use include modern C++, GPU computing frameworks, version control systems, and internal simulation platforms.

Check what we can offer you:

• Competitive salary
• 25 days holiday per year
• Private Medical and Dental plans, Income Protection and Life Insurance
• Group Personal Pension Plan
• Cycle to work scheme and gym subsidy
• 5 days paid time to volunteer to give back to our communities
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• The opportunity to work for a Great Place to Work© & Fortune 100 organization

Cadence is committed to equal employment opportunity and employment equity throughout all levels of the organization. We strive to attract a qualified and diverse candidate pool and encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

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