Firmware Engineer, Principal

Job Title

Principal Firmware Engineer - SerDes PHY

Role Summary

Lead design and delivery of embedded firmware for high-speed SerDes PHY IP used in data center, AI/ML, automotive and compute applications. The role drives firmware architecture, implementation, validation, and silicon bring-up while coordinating across hardware, systems, validation, and customer teams.

Experience Level

Senior-level. Typical candidates have 7+ years of experience in embedded firmware development for hardware IP or SoCs and proven technical or team leadership.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities focus on architecture, implementation, validation, and delivery of production-quality SerDes firmware.

• Serve as technical/project lead for SerDes firmware programs (teams of ~2–8 engineers).
• Architect and implement embedded C/C++ firmware for calibration, training algorithms, DSP adaptations, and link state management.
• Develop and maintain customer-facing SDKs, lab tools, GUIs, and automation (Python/C-based).
• Debug complex lab and field issues in partnership with hardware, validation, and application teams.
• Define firmware milestones, plan sprints, manage tickets, and ensure delivery and quality via CI/regression systems.
• Translate protocol specifications (PCIe/Ethernet/CXL or custom) into firmware architecture and documentation.
• Support silicon bring-up, post-silicon debug, and pre-silicon validation (simulation/emulation) activities.
• Mentor junior engineers and influence IP design based on field debug learnings.

Requirements

Must-have skills and experience for successful performance in this role.

• 7+ years of embedded C/C++ firmware development for hardware IP or SoCs.
• Technical or team leadership delivering embedded software from specification to production.
• Deep understanding of microcontroller architectures (RISC-V a plus), memory-mapped registers, ISRs, and boot flows.
• Strong lab debug skills working directly on silicon with oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and custom tools.
• Familiarity with git and modern software development practices; experience with CI/regression systems.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across functions and geographies.

Preferred (nice-to-have):

• Knowledge of SerDes and high-speed IO standards (PCIe, Ethernet, UCIe, CXL).
• Experience with calibration algorithms, adaptive feedback control, and signal conditioning.
• Silicon bring-up and post-silicon debug experience; pre-silicon firmware (DV/emulation) experience.
• RTOS or bare-metal firmware architectures; scripting in Python/Bash for lab automation.
• Familiarity with digital design (Verilog/SystemVerilog), simulation, DV flows, and OSI physical/data link layers.
• Understanding of signal integrity and signal-processing concepts (eye diagrams, jitter, BER, SNR, CTLE/DFE/FFE).

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or a related field with 8+ years of software/firmware experience; OR Master's degree in those fields with 7+ years; OR PhD in those fields with 6+ years, as stated in the posting.

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.