Principal Firmware Architect

Quick Facts

• Role: Principal Firmware Architect

• Focus: Firmware architecture and development for embedded systems and advanced SoC platforms

Description

Design and architect firmware for embedded systems and advanced SoC platforms, from initial architecture through manufacturing and productization. Lead firmware component development (drivers, libraries, low-level interfaces), bootloader and BSP support, and optimize hardware interfaces and OS primitives to improve availability, performance, reliability, and cost. Partner with hardware and cross-functional teams to ensure secure, scalable platform bring-up and successful system integration.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement firmware solutions for embedded systems

• Contribute across product development phases from design/architecture through manufacturing and productization

• Define and develop firmware architecture for key systems (scalability, reliability, performance)

• Collaborate with hardware engineering for seamless hardware–firmware integration

• Design, develop, and maintain firmware components including driver interfaces, system libraries, and low-level hardware interfaces

• Support SoC bring-up, platform initialization, bootloader development, and board support package (BSP) porting

• Develop and optimize firmware for hardware interfaces and peripherals: PCIe, NVMe, I2C, SPI, USB, UART

• Contribute to internal fabric, protocol development, and low-level hardware feature implementation

• Implement and optimize OS primitives: memory management, scheduling, interrupts, threading

• Debug, troubleshoot, and resolve complex firmware and hardware integration issues

• Provide technical leadership in firmware design, development, testing, and validation

• Partner with cross-functional teams for system integration, product readiness, and deployment

Requirements

• Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience

• OR Master’s degree AND 6+ years technical engineering experience

• OR Bachelor’s degree AND 8+ years technical engineering experience

• OR equivalent experience

• Ability to meet security screening requirements (including passing the Microsoft Cloud background check and providing proof of eligibility for access to export-controlled information)

Benefits

• Base pay range (U.S.): USD $142,800–$274,800 per year (location-dependent ranges may apply)

• Eligible for benefits and other compensation (see Microsoft corporate pay information)

• Open for a minimum of 5 days; applications accepted until the position is filled