Hardware & Silicon Validation Principal Engineer

Job Title

Hardware & Silicon Validation Principal Engineer

Role Summary

Join the Custom Cloud Solutions Hardware Validation Group to validate next-generation data center ASICs and SoCs through early bring-up to full product qualification. The team owns end-to-end hardware validation, including functional validation, electrical characterization, high-speed SERDES checks, and system/platform testing in instrumented hardware labs.

This role is hands-on lab-focused, involving deep debugging across hardware, firmware, and system layers to ensure silicon meets functional, performance, power, and reliability targets.

Experience Level

Senior-level principal engineer. Typical experience ranges listed by the employer: Bachelor's degree holders with ~10–15 years of relevant experience, or Master's/PhD holders with ~5–10 years.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities span lab bring-up, validation execution, and cross-team problem resolution.

• Develop and own validation plans for SoCs, ASICs, or custom IP blocks.
• Bring up first silicon: power-on, boot, and subsystem initialization.
• Execute post-silicon validation: functional tests, performance characterization, stress and qualification testing.
• Measure and analyze silicon performance across workloads and operating conditions.
• Use oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and on-chip debug tools to identify and root-cause issues.
• Collaborate with architecture, design, verification, firmware, and software teams to drive fixes and verify solutions.
• Define validation coverage and test strategies with architecture and design teams.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, lab experience, and working habits for this role.

• Proven experience validating CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, SoCs, or custom ASICs.
• Strong understanding of digital logic, computer architecture, and SoC subsystems.
• Hands-on experience with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers) and deep hardware debugging.
• Proficiency in scripting for test automation (Python, Perl, Shell) and experience with C/C++ for low-level test development.
• Familiarity with Linux environments, device drivers, and hardware-software interaction.
• Strong analytical skills, clear cross-team communication, and ability to operate independently in fast-paced hardware development cycles.
• Must be eligible to access export-controlled technology; non-U.S. citizens may be subject to export license review prior to employment.

Nice-to-have:

• Knowledge of high-speed interfaces (PCIe, Ethernet) and memory subsystems (DDR, HBM).
• Experience with pre-silicon environments: simulation, emulation, FPGA prototyping.
• Curiosity and passion for understanding complex silicon behavior.

Education Requirements

Employer specifies: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field (with ~10–15 years of related professional experience), or Master's degree and/or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field (with ~5–10 years of related experience). Fields referenced: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and related technical disciplines.

About the Company

Company: Marvell Technology

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States

Marvell’s semiconductor solutions serve as essential building blocks of the data infrastructure connecting our world, driving innovation across enterprise, cloud, AI, and carrier architectures. The company focuses on creating transformative technology that shapes the future.