Principal Software Engineer

Job Title

Principal Software Engineer

Role Summary

Lead the software strategy, architecture, and delivery of embedded operating systems and middleware for the Renesas RZ family of ARM-based SoCs. Partner with SoC architects, product teams, customers, and external vendors to ensure software enablement across Linux, Zephyr, FreeRTOS, and Azure RTOS.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 15+ years of software engineering experience with at least 5 years in a technical leadership role.

Responsibilities

Accountable for OS and middleware architecture, delivery, partner management, and upstream open-source work.

• Define and own the OS roadmap and build-vs-buy strategy for the RZ product family.
• Oversee enablement, porting, and upstreaming of Linux, Zephyr, FreeRTOS, and Azure RTOS across RZ/G, RZ/V, RZ/A, and RZ/T platforms.
• Architect, develop, and maintain middleware components (graphics, networking, security, filesystems, connectivity, motor control, multimedia codecs).
• Collaborate with SoC architects and hardware teams to influence IOMMU, DMA, interrupt controllers, boot ROM interfaces, and peripheral IP for software supportability.
• Ensure robust BSP, device tree, and driver development across supported operating systems.
• Own software release processes, versioning, release notes, QA gates, and customer documentation.
• Drive open-source compliance (license review, SBOM) and manage contributor/upstream relationships.
• Engage with product marketing, field application engineers, customers, and external partners to define requirements and resolve escalations.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and proven leadership in embedded OS enablement.

• 15+ years of software engineering experience with progressive responsibility; 5+ years in technical leadership.
• Hands-on experience with at least two of: Linux kernel development (drivers, BSP, upstreaming), Zephyr RTOS, FreeRTOS, Azure RTOS.
• Strong hardware/software interface knowledge: ARM Cortex-A and Cortex-R/M, SoC boot flows, JTAG/debug, and memory-mapped peripherals.
• Experience with embedded middleware: Wayland/LVGL, TCP/IP and TLS stacks, Bluetooth/Wi‑Fi, storage, and security components.
• Demonstrated upstream contributions and open-source compliance experience (GPL/BSD/MIT/Apache).
• Proficiency with Git, Yocto/OpenEmbedded, Buildroot, Jenkins or equivalent build systems, and containerized build environments (Docker).
• Preferred: familiarity with functional safety standards (ISO 26262, IEC 61508), edge AI/ML stacks, motor control algorithms, semiconductor industry enablement, and active open-source maintainer experience.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience; Master's degree preferred.

About the Company

Company: Renesas

Headquarters: Hitachinaka, Japan

Renesas is a global leader in embedded semiconductor solutions, providing high-quality products across automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT sectors. With over 22,000 employees in more than 30 countries, the company focuses on scalable solutions that enhance user experience and drive innovation while committed to sustainability and energy efficiency.