Principal Engineer - Software

Job Title

Principal Engineer - Software

Role Summary

Principal Engineer on the Secure Computing Group Applications Engineering team. Provide technical leadership for architecture, development, integration, and deployment of embedded firmware and platform software for secure computing products (Embedded Controllers, secure boot, root-of-trust, TrustZone-enabled systems).

Work with cross-functional teams to enable platforms and support customer deployments across x86 and Arm-based systems. Travel estimated 0%–25%.

Experience Level

Level: Senior — guidance: 10+ years of relevant industry experience (as stated in the posting).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include technical leadership, architecture, development, and customer enablement for secure embedded platforms.

• Collaborate with engineering, product management, silicon, validation, and customer teams to drive platform enablement and customer success across x86 and Arm systems.
• Architect secure firmware solutions, lead customer onboarding and technical engagements, and mentor engineering teams across multiple projects.
• Develop and integrate TrustZone and Trusted Firmware-M (TF-M) based solutions, secure provisioning frameworks, cryptographic services, and secure firmware update mechanisms.
• Drive software architecture decisions and platform software strategy for next-generation secure computing products.
• Act as technical authority for complex customer issues, security architecture reviews, and platform-level troubleshooting.
• Support software deployment, verification, validation, and customer product enablement activities.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience required for success in the role.

• Proven experience in embedded firmware and software development for microcontrollers, embedded processors, and secure computing platforms.
• Expert-level Embedded C programming and strong scripting skills in Python.
• Strong understanding of ARM architectures, Linux environments, and command-line build systems; experience with Cortex-M and TrustZone-enabled architectures.
• Experience with Trusted Firmware-M (TF-M), PSA concepts, secure/non-secure partitioning, and trusted execution environments.
• Deep knowledge of secure boot, root-of-trust, device attestation, cryptographic provisioning, key management, and firmware resiliency architectures.
• Hands-on experience with cryptographic primitives and protocols (AES, RSA, ECC/ECDSA, SHA) and secure provisioning frameworks.
• Familiarity with RTOS and embedded frameworks such as Zephyr, FreeRTOS, and Chromium EC firmware; strong embedded software architecture skills.
• Experience with embedded interfaces and protocols (I2C, I3C, SPI, eSPI, UART, USB) and debugging tools (protocol analyzers, oscilloscopes) for system-level troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated technical leadership, mentoring, customer-facing skills, and ability to lead initiatives across distributed teams.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with embedded AI/TinyML (TensorFlow Lite Micro, CMSIS-NN), AI model optimization for constrained devices, and secure AI deployment.
• Understanding of DICE, CDI, SPDM, eROT, firmware update and recovery architectures, and relevant cybersecurity standards and compliance practices.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. The posting specifies 10+ years of relevant industry experience.

About the Company

Company: Microchip

Headquarters: Chandler, Arizona, USA

Microchip is a leading semiconductor company focused on developing innovative solutions to enhance the human experience. With a commitment to empowering innovation, Microchip prioritizes the value of its employees by fostering a culture that supports their growth and contributions.