SoC HW (Digital, Analog or PnP) Validation Engineer

Job Title

SoC HW (Digital, Analog or PnP) Validation Engineer

Role Summary

Post-silicon validation engineer on Microsoft Silicon's Compute Silicon & Manufacturing Engineering (CSME) team, focused on validating custom SoC designs for cloud infrastructure. The role owns post-silicon validation for functional, electrical, or power/performance domains, builds validation strategy and tools, debugs silicon failures, and collaborates with architects, designers, and software teams.

Experience Level

Mid-level individual contributor. Typical experience guidance in the posting: equivalent of 1–2+ years technical engineering experience depending on degree (see Education Requirements for details).

Responsibilities

Deliver post-silicon validation, debug, and tooling for custom SoCs; collaborate across hardware and software teams.

• Own post-silicon validation for functional, electrical, or power/performance areas.
• Define and implement silicon debug tools, boards, and hardware/software requirements.
• Develop validation strategy, test plans, environments, scripts, and content.
• Execute post-silicon tests, triage failures, and debug silicon issues using on-chip debug and lab equipment.
• Collaborate with architects, logic designers, verification engineers, firmware/software teams, and external IP/tool providers.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers.
• Drive continuous improvement to design and validation methodology to find and prevent bugs earlier.
• Contribute to pre-silicon verification plans and debug where applicable.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and screening requirements. Preferred items listed when applicable.

• Proven post-silicon validation experience: writing and executing test plans, developing test content, automation, and tools.
• Hands-on silicon debug experience using on-chip debug (trace/JTAG) and lab equipment (protocol analyzers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, BER testers).
• Strong scripting/programming skills (e.g., Python, C/C++) for automation and debug tool development.
• Applied understanding of computer architecture and SoC validation principles (cores, coherency/mesh/fabric, PCIe/IO, memory controllers, power management).
• Experience with running silicon content on pre-silicon platforms such as emulation or FPGA.
• Ability to create synthetic SoC validation content for bare-metal and OS environments; experience developing crash/register dump and debug utilities.
• Demonstrated collaboration, communication, and leadership in cross-functional engineering teams.
• Ability to meet Microsoft Cloud Background Check and pass export-control related screening; successful candidates must provide documentation of citizenship or residency as required for access to export-controlled information.

Education Requirements

Required/recognized qualifications in the posting: Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field; the posting allows equivalent practical experience in lieu of a degree. Specific guidance in the listing: Master's +1 year technical experience OR Bachelor's +2 years technical experience OR equivalent experience; Doctorate listed as preferred in some cases.

Additional benefits and pay information: Microsoft corporate pay & benefits.

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.