Principal Engineer, Firmware & Product Test

Job Title

Principal Engineer, Firmware & Product Test

Role Summary

Lead front-end firmware validation for enterprise SSD products. Own verification strategy for NVMe front-end features, develop scalable test automation, and lead failure analysis and debug efforts across simulation, FPGA, and prototype hardware.

Work on a cross-functional firmware and product-test team, mentor engineers, define test coverage standards, and influence firmware testability and design decisions while leveraging AI-enabled tools to accelerate validation.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires substantial industry experience; degree-based guidance in Education Requirements below (PhD ~6+ years, MS ~8+ years, BS ~10+ years).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include planning, implementing, and sustaining firmware test activities for NVMe front-end features and driving automation and debug capability improvements.

• Define and execute verification strategies for NVMe front-end features (SMART, Trim, Get Log Page, OCP, Identify, Namespace Management) across product lines.
• Own end-to-end test development lifecycle: spec analysis, test planning, automation, execution, and coverage closure.
• Develop and maintain scalable test automation frameworks and CI/CD integration for regression automation and reporting.
• Lead root-cause analysis and systematic debug using protocol analyzers, event logs, and firmware traces; document defects and recommend fixes.
• Establish test coverage standards, perform code reviews, and drive continuous improvement in test effectiveness and quality.
• Apply AI-enabled tools and data-analytics/ML techniques to accelerate test development, anomaly detection, and predictive failure analysis.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and present validation status and risk assessments to stakeholders.

Requirements

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

• Expert-level Python and proven experience building production-quality test automation frameworks.
• Strong experience validating NVMe front-end features and related admin/command flows.
• Demonstrated expertise in failure analysis, systematic debug, log analysis, and root-cause identification.
• Deep understanding of test architecture, automation strategy, and validation methodologies.
• Experience owning test infrastructure improvements, CI/CD integration, and regression automation.
• Experience using AI-enabled development tools and adopting AI-powered workflows to improve productivity.
• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor engineers; strong communication skills for cross-functional collaboration.

Nice-to-have:

• Protocol-level knowledge of NVMe and PCIe.
• Experience with storage firmware architecture, NAND flash/FTL concepts, and SSD validation methodologies.
• Familiarity with Rust or C for firmware comprehension and grey-box testing.
• Experience with protocol analyzers, coyote event logs, firmware debug tools, and Git-based CI/CD pipelines.
• Applied AI/ML experience for test optimization or intelligent failure triage.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree with ~10+ years, Master's degree with ~8+ years, or PhD with ~6+ years in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.

About the Company

Company: Micron Technology

Headquarters: Boise, Idaho, USA

Micron Technology is a global leader in memory and storage solutions, dedicated to transforming how the world uses information. The company offers a diverse portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND, and NOR memory products under the Micron and Crucial brands. With a commitment to customer focus and technological innovation, Micron drives advancements in artificial intelligence, 5G, and other data-centric applications, empowering users to learn, communicate, and progress.