Firmware Engineer, Principal

Job Title

Firmware Engineer, Principal

Role Summary

Senior embedded firmware engineer responsible for architecture, implementation, and delivery of production-quality firmware for high-speed SerDes PHY IP. The role leads a small cross-functional team through development, silicon bring-up, validation, and customer delivery.

Experience Level

Senior — typically 7+ years of embedded firmware experience. (Minimum qualifications listed degree+years options: Bachelor's +8 years, Master's +7 years, PhD +6 years.)

Responsibilities

The principal firmware engineer will lead firmware design and delivery for SerDes PHY IP, drive cross-team coordination, and support silicon bring-up and customer integration.

• Lead technical efforts and a team (typically 2–8 engineers) through planning, development, validation, and delivery.
• Architect and implement embedded C/C++ firmware for calibration, training algorithms, DSP adaptations, and link state management.
• Develop and maintain customer-facing SDKs (C, Python), lab tools, GUIs, and automation scripts for bring-up and diagnostics.
• Debug complex lab and field issues working directly with hardware, validation, and applications teams.
• Translate protocol specifications (PCIe, Ethernet, CXL, etc.) and system requirements into firmware architecture and documentation.
• Maintain build, regression, and CI infrastructure to ensure code quality and coverage.
• Support pre-silicon validation (simulation, emulation) and post-silicon bring-up activities.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience to perform the role.

• Must-have:
  • 7+ years of embedded C/C++ firmware development for hardware IP or SoCs.
  • Proven technical or team leadership in embedded software projects from spec to production.
  • Deep understanding of microcontroller architecture (RISC-V a plus), memory-mapped registers, ISRs, and boot flows.
  • Strong lab debug skills using oscilloscopes, analyzers, and custom test tools; hands-on silicon bring-up experience.
  • Proficiency in C and C++; scripting experience in Python or Bash for test and automation.
  • Familiarity with git and modern software development workflows (CI, regression testing).
  • Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to collaborate across functions and geographies.
• Nice-to-have:
  • Knowledge of SerDes and high-speed I/O standards (PCIe, Ethernet, UCIe, CXL).
  • Experience with calibration algorithms, signal conditioning, adaptive feedback control, and signal-processing concepts (eye diagrams, jitter, BER, SNR, CTLE/DFE/FFE).
  • Experience in pre-silicon firmware (DV, FPGA emulation) and post-silicon debug.
  • Familiarity with RTOS or bare-metal firmware architectures and digital design (Verilog/SystemVerilog) or DV flows.
  • Exposure to OSI model layers relevant to PHY and data link implementations.

Education Requirements

Degree options stated in the source: Bachelor's in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science or related field (with ~8+ years' experience), or Master's (with ~7+ years), or PhD (with ~6+ years). Fields explicitly mentioned include Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related technical fields. The posting allows the degree+experience combinations above as the stated minimum qualifications.

About the Company

Company: Qualcomm

Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States

Qualcomm is a global leader in semiconductor and telecommunications equipment, specializing in mobile technologies and innovations. Known for its Adreno GPUs, the company provides solutions enabling advancements in mobile gaming, AI, VR/AR, and autonomous driving. Qualcomm's cutting-edge technology and commitment to high-performance, power-efficient designs drive the evolution of mobile graphics and connectivity worldwide.