BIOS Senior/Lead Software Engineer

Arista Networks; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Arista Networks in Canada is seeking a software engineer to design, develop, and maintain low-level CPU firmware, BIOS, and boot loader systems for EOS-based products. You will collaborate with hardware teams to validate CPUs and ensure secure boot, while contributing to open source BIOS communities and internal tooling.

The role emphasizes strong C/C++ and Python skills, deep debugging experience in firmware, and the ability to work independently within small teams.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD with relevant experience as listed in the job ad.
• Expert knowledge of C; C++ and Python desirable.
• Experience in CPU firmware, BIOS and boot loader environments.
• Experience bringing up new CPU boards.
• Hands-on troubleshooting in low-level firmware.
• Linux kernel familiarity desirable.
• IP networking understanding desirable.
• Applied software engineering principles.
• Strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong software design and implementation skills.
• Ability to work independently and in small teams.
• Excellent communication and documentation skills.
• Familiarity with x86 and ARM architectures.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, integrate and maintain low-level CPU software in Arista products.
• Develop automated tests using C, C++ and Python to validate features.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to qualify CPUs and related components.
• Track Linux kernel developments and contribute relevant features.
• Work with upstream BIOS communities to contribute to mainline.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership.

Skills

C programming

Python programming

Linux kernel knowledge

Networking concepts

Firmware debugging

Communication skills

Education

BS in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering

MS in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering

PhD in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering

Tools

C

C++

Python

Job description

Company Description

Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large data center, campus and routing environments. What sets us apart is our relentless pursuit of innovation. We leverage the latest advancements in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and software-defined networking to provide our clients with a competitive edge in an increasingly interconnected world. Our solutions are designed to not only meet the current demands of the digital landscape but also anticipate and adapt to future challenges.

Company Description

Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large data center, campus and routing environments. What sets us apart is our relentless pursuit of innovation. We leverage the latest advancements in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and software-defined networking to provide our clients with a competitive edge in an increasingly interconnected world. Our solutions are designed to not only meet the current demands of the digital landscape, but also anticipate and adapt to future challenges.
At Arista we value the diversity of thought and perspectives that each employee brings to the table. We believe that fostering an inclusive environment, where individuals from various backgrounds and experiences feel welcome, is essential for driving creativity and innovation.
Our commitment to excellence has earned us several prestigious awards, such as Best Engineering Team, Best Company for Diversity, Compensation, and Work-Life Balance. At Arista, we take pride in our track record of success and strive to maintain the highest standards of quality and performance in everything we do.

Job Description

Who You’ll Work With

Arista’s BIOS team is responsible for developing and maintaining the CPU firmware, BIOS and Boot Loader software used in all Arista products. This work includes bringing up new CPU boards, getting EOS to boot securely, efficiently and reliably. This work also involves designing and implementing new features in EOS to manage and secure the low level system initialization and booting subsystems, as well as keeping pace with the latest developments in the open source and proprietary BIOS development communities.

Arista BIOS software engineers are also responsible for low level software driving the CPU subsystems on all Arista products. You will evaluate new CPUs and work with CPU vendors and BIOS vendors to integrate their low level firmware into Arista products. You will work closely with hardware engineers to bring up, validate and test new CPUs in our hardware products.

Arista Software Engineering roles demand a strong and broad software engineering background. While the primary focus area for this role is firmware, BIOS and booting software, your work will cover all aspects of software development spanning the design and development of new features, debugging problems and fine tuning code for reliability and performance. You will own your projects from definition to deployment and customer interactions, and you will be responsible for the quality of everything you deliver.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, integrate and maintain the low-level CPU software in Arista products.
• Develop automated tests using C, C++ and Python to validate your features.
• Work with hardware engineers and vendors to qualify new CPUs and related components for use in Arista products.
• Track ongoing developments in the Linux Kernel and identify features and functionality of interest to Arista for our products and for internal development needs.
• Work with upstream open source BIOS communities to contribute features back to the mainline.
• Review and contribute to functional and design specifications written by other engineers.
• Work with Customer Support Engineers and customers to analyze, mitigate and fix problems in customer networks.
• Work with the System Test Engineers to analyze problems found in their tests and provide fixes for those problems.
• Provide technical leadership across features, projects and tools.
• Mentor new and junior engineers to bring them up to speed in Arista’s software development environment.

Qualifications

• BS Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 8 years experience, or MS Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 6 years experience, or Ph.D. in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 3 years experience, or equivalent work experience
• Expert knowledge of and extensive experience programming in C required. Knowledge of C++ and Python is desirable.
• Experience designing and developing software in CPU firmware, BIOS and boot loader environments.
• Experience bringing up new CPU boards.
• Significant hands-on experience diagnosing problems, troubleshooting issues and fixing bugs in low-level CPU firmware, BIOS and boot loader software.
• Familiarity with Linux kernel architecture, design and implementation desirable
• Understanding of IP networking architecture, design and principles desirable
• Applied understanding of modern software engineering principles and practices
• Strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong software design and implementation skills.
• Ability to work independently and in small teams.
• Ability to communicate articulately, and document your designs and implementations clearly, and concisely.
• Familiarity with and experience working with the x86 and ARM CPU architectures

Additional Information

The new hire base pay for this role has a pay range of $120,000 to $195,000 across Canada. Arista offers different pay ranges based on work location, so that we can offer consistent and competitive pay appropriate to the market. The actual base pay offered will be based on a wide range of factors, including skills, qualifications, relevant experience, and work location. The pay range provided reflects base pay only and in addition certain roles may also be eligible for discretionary Arista bonuses and equity. Employees in Sales roles are eligible to participate in Arista’s Sales Incentive Plan, which pays commissions calculated as a percentage of eligible sales. Employees are also entitled to benefits including medical, dental, vision, wellbeing, income protection and a Group Retirement Savings Plan. The recruiting team can share more details during the hiring process specific to the role and location.