Silicon Design Verification Engineer

Job Title

Silicon Design Verification Engineer

Role Summary

Join the Compute Silicon & Manufacturing Engineering organization to develop and validate firmware, FPGA platforms, and post-silicon bring-up for server SoCs used in Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. The role sits on the Shared and Custom IP & Silicon team and collaborates with design, firmware, hardware, security, and validation teams.

Experience Level

Mid-level - typically candidates have at least 1–2+ years of relevant engineering experience (see Education Requirements for degree/experience equivalencies).

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities focus on firmware-style test development, FPGA prototyping, and post-silicon validation:

• Develop C/C++ test content, low-level drivers, and firmware-style tests for subsystems and SoCs, including self-checking tests running on embedded processors.
• Extend compile/build flows to support custom firmware tests and Makefile-based flows.
• Own FPGA prototyping platforms: create board images/bitfiles, design custom FPGA RTL for protocol interfaces, and maintain stable platforms for firmware teams.
• Develop and maintain Python tooling to interface with FPGA platforms and automate test flows.
• Debug FPGA and post-silicon issues using JTAG debuggers, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and multimeters.
• Drive post-silicon bring-up and validation in the lab, execute validation suites on first silicon, and meet bring-up exit criteria on schedule.
• Root-cause failing post-silicon tests, analyze scan/trace dumps, coordinate cross-team debug, and implement fixes.

Requirements

Must-have items describe security/eligibility and core technical capabilities; preferred items list additional helpful skills.

• Must-have: Ability to meet Microsoft security screening and export control eligibility (citizenship or lawful-resident verification as required for access to export-controlled information).
• Must-have: Experience developing C/C++ embedded/bare-metal tests and low-level firmware or drivers.
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with FPGA prototyping platforms and ability to produce board images/bitfiles and platform tooling support.
• Must-have: Practical hardware debug skills using JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, multimeters; experience with post-silicon bring-up and lab validation.
• Must-have: Scripting skills (Python or similar) for automation, build flows, and log/data parsing.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with SystemVerilog testbenches, pre-silicon verification cycles, and coverage signoff.
• Nice-to-have: Familiarity with low-level startup code, linker scripts, assembly, and Makefile-based build systems.
• Nice-to-have: Knowledge of industry protocols such as AMBA (AXI/AHB/APB), JTAG, SPI, I2C/I3C, and USB, and understanding of silicon/computer architecture.
• Nice-to-have: Strong cross-team communication and collaboration experience across architecture, design, firmware, and validation teams.

Education Requirements

Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field plus 1+ year technical engineering experience; OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field plus 2+ years technical engineering experience; OR equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: Microsoft

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States

Microsoft is a global technology company that develops and sells software, services, devices, and solutions. Known for its Windows operating system, Office suite, and Azure cloud platform, Microsoft aims to empower individuals and organizations around the world to achieve more. The company fosters a culture of innovation and inclusion, focusing on delivering trusted experiences to customers and partners globally.