Staff Firmware/Middleware Engineer

Job Title

Staff Firmware/Middleware Engineer

Role Summary

Define firmware architecture, control interfaces, telemetry, and diagnostics for next-generation digital power management products used in AI, datacenter, and high-performance computing systems. Act as an architecture lead working across embedded firmware, control systems, semiconductor hardware, validation, and system architecture teams.

This role focuses on creating scalable firmware frameworks, specifying firmware-facing contracts, and producing prototypes or reference implementations to validate architectural choices.

Experience Level

Senior — typically requires 8+ years of experience in embedded firmware, embedded systems, digital power, SoC firmware, control-oriented firmware, or related semiconductor product development.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include architecture definition, cross-team collaboration, and prototype delivery to reduce implementation risk.

• Define firmware architecture requirements for digital multiphase power controllers and related power products.
• Design system-facing firmware interfaces for telemetry, monitoring, diagnostics, tuning, characterization, and control-loop support.
• Translate system architecture needs into firmware contracts, data structures, APIs, timing expectations, and execution flows.
• Collaborate with systems, firmware, digital and analog design, verification, validation, applications, and software/tool teams.
• Support embedded characterization methods such as signal injection, frequency-response measurement, fixed-point signal processing, and runtime monitoring.
• Create reference implementations or early prototypes to validate feasibility and reduce architectural risk.
• Document firmware architecture specifications, interface behavior, operating ranges, limits, timing requirements, and validation expectations.
• Establish reusable firmware patterns across product families while leaving production firmware delivery to implementation teams.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; preferred items listed separately.

• 8+ years of embedded firmware or related semiconductor product development experience.
• Strong C programming experience for resource-constrained embedded systems.
• Experience with microcontrollers, embedded peripherals, interrupts, timers, fixed-point math, register interfaces, and hardware bring-up.
• Proven ability to translate system-level requirements into firmware APIs, data structures, execution flows, and testable contracts.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and documenting architecture clearly for multiple execution teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred:

• Experience with digital power controllers, DC/DC converters, voltage regulators, telemetry, diagnostics, or firmware-enabled power management products.
• Experience with frequency-response measurement, Bode-style characterization, embedded auto-tuning, or signal-processing techniques.
• Experience with Python for automation, data analysis, firmware test infrastructure, or model-based development workflows.
• Familiarity with Verilog/SystemVerilog, hardware modeling, or hardware/software interface definition.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline (specified in the posting).

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.