Principal Firmware Engineer

Overview

The Microsoft Silicon Engineering Solutions and Cloud Hardware Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) team is responsible for developing and delivering the hardware and firmware that is responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsofts over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Skype, OneDrive and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for engineers to help achieve that mission.

Are you passionate about working on cutting edge new technology in a team that embodies the growth mindset? Are you hoping to join an organization which is built on a mission “To empower every person and organization on this planet to achieve more”?

The Firmware Center of Excellence is responsible for Hardware/Firmware for Azure Infrastructure. We are working on the next generation Hardware/Firmware for server, silicon and rack infrastructure with a focus on innovation in firmware technology to secure Azure infrastructure for Microsoft and their customers.

We are looking for a Principal Firmware Engineer with a background in system debug to work on lighting up these various technologies as each team produces their part. You have experience with System-on-Chip (SoC) Architecture and Design, bringing up SoC, root causing issues at the intersection of multiple subsystems across firmware and hardware.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

• As a Principal level engineer you would be working with product architects, firmware teams, product managers to provide critical guidance, system-level debugging and troubleshooting to various teams on Cloud HW systems, focusing on new technologies like GPU and AI accelerators.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Architects, hardware engineers, software developers, validation & integration and product managers and ensure that firmware requirements and specifications are clearly defined and highlight any gaps required for a product.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to ensure proper integration and communication between hardware and firmware components.
• Design and implement firmware modules to support various hardware interfaces, including USB vNIC, SPI, I2C, PCIe, and other related protocols.
• Perform system-level debugging and troubleshooting to identify and resolve hardware/firmware-related issues.
• Embody our culture and values.
  
  

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, or related technical discipline AND 15+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience.
• Experience with Platform initialization firmware, board support package integration, low level drivers for peripherals using one or more of the following: PCIe, I2C, eMMC, SPI, USB, UARTs as well as Memory Management, Scheduling, Interrupts and multi-threading.
• Experience working from early concept of Architecture, designing, and delivering on new technologies across the entire platform.
  
  

Other Requirements

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience OR Masters Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 10+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.
• Familiarity with AI, Machine Learning technologies.
• Experience working with multiple teams on Root cause analysis, troubleshooting, and debugging skills resulting in solving complex Hardware/Firmware interface issues.
• In-depth knowledge of hardware and firmware interfaces: OpenBMC, DMTF MCTP, Redfish, PLDM, SPDM, RAS, UEFI, Virtualization/SRIOV.
• Experience working with High performance computing, GPU and AI accelerator integration into Data center.
• Experience with Implementation of Hardware/Firmware Security primitives.
  
  

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

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