Technical Staff Engineer–Applications

FHLB Des Moines; Burnaby; On-site; CAD 107,000 - 226,000; Full time

Job summary

Microchip Technology Inc. in Burnaby, Canada is seeking a Technical Staff Engineer – Applications to join the Data Center Solutions team.

You will collaborate with product development, validation, marketing, and sales to enable customer platforms and scale deployments of PCIe switch technology in AI and storage workloads. The role demands deep PCIe expertise, firmware and software development skills, and strong cross‑functional communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering.
• Strong PCIe knowledge and platform debug experience.
• Experience with firmware/driver development for Windows and UNIX.
• Proficiency in C and C++ with scripting in Python/Perl/Bash.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer platform enablement for PCIe switch products and data-center platforms.
• Define technical requirements with hyperscale AI and storage customers.
• Provide platform-level debug and develop collateral (guides, designs, firmware updates).
• Deliver technical training to internal teams and mentor junior engineers.
• Collaborate across hardware, firmware, and system integration teams.
• Travel to customer sites as needed to support deployments.
• Work with product teams to ensure smooth product integration.
• Expand expertise in PCIe, CXL, and storage architectures.
• Collaborate with QA and software teams on deliverables.

Skills

PCIe knowledge

C/C++ programming

Firmware debugging

Python scripting

Multithreaded debugging

Hardware debugging tools

Cross-functional collaboration

UNIX/Windows driver development

Education

Bachelor's degree in EE/CS

Tools

WinDbg

JTAG

Logic analyzers

Protocol analyzers

Linux/RTOS tooling

Job description

Are you looking for a unique opportunity to be a part of something great? Want to join a 17,000-member team that works on the technology that powers the world around us? Looking for an atmosphere of trust, empowerment, respect, diversity, and communication? How about an opportunity to own a piece of a multi-billion dollar (with a B!) global organization? We offer all that and more at Microchip Technology Inc. People come to work at Microchip because we help design the technology that runs the world. They stay because our culture supports their growth and stability. They are challenged and driven by an incredible array of products and solutions with unlimited career potential. Microchip’s nationally-recognized Leadership Passage Programs support career growth where we proudly enroll over a thousand people annually. We take pride in our commitment to employee development, values-based decision making, and strong sense of community, driven by our Vision, Mission, and 11 Guiding Values; we affectionately refer to it as the Aggregate System and it’s won us countless awards for diversity and workplace excellence. Our company is built by dedicated team players who love to challenge the status quo; we did not achieve record revenue and over 30 years of quarterly profitability without a great team dedicated to empowering innovation. People like you. Visit our careers page to see what exciting opportunities and company perks await!

Job Description

Microchip’s Data Center Solutions (DCS) business unit delivers industry‑leading performance, reliability, and security across a broad portfolio of next‑generation interconnect and storage technologies—including PCIe® switches and retimers, smart storage controllers, RAID solutions, SAS/SATA I/O controllers, SAS expanders, NVMe controllers, and emerging CXL™ architectures. Microchip Technology Inc. is seeking a Technical Staff Engineer – Applications to join our rapidly expanding DCS organization in Burnaby, Canada. Our products are widely deployed by top AI server and storage OEMs, hyperscale cloud providers, and enterprise data‑center customers. DCS solutions power workloads ranging from large‑scale storage infrastructure to cutting‑edge AI/ML training clusters, shaping the next generation of high‑performance, secure, and scalable digital systems. Our portfolio spans SAS, PCIe, NVMe, and CXL technologies and includes flash controllers, high‑performance switches, RAID controllers, and memory controllers that connect, manage, and secure the world’s data. As part of the Applications Engineering team, you’ll collaborate closely with product development, validation, marketing, and sales to ensure customers successfully design, deploy, and scale their platforms. You’ll work directly with engineering teams at leading hyperscale's and global OEMs, supporting design wins, platform bring‑up, and production ramp. This role offers hands‑on engagement with cutting‑edge data‑center, AI/ML, and storage technologies in a fast‑moving environment where your contributions directly impact customer success and business growth.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer platform enablement for Microchip Switchtec® PCIe® switch products, driving robust, system‑level solutions for next‑generation data‑center and AI platforms.
• Partner with hyperscale AI and global storage customers to define technical requirements, manage deliverables, and support platforms from early board bring‑up through production release.
• Provide advanced technical support by driving platform‑level debug, resolving complex system issues, and developing high‑quality collateral such as hardware guides, reference designs, firmware updates, and software tools.
• Deliver technical training and presentations to internal field teams and customer engineering groups; mentor junior engineers and support their technical development.
• Work independently and cross‑functionally to solve challenging engineering problems across hardware, firmware, and system integration.
• Lead technical discussions and customer engagements to optimize system design, performance, and reliability.
• Ensure seamless product integration and lifecycle management through close collaboration with customers, product teams, and internal stakeholders.
• Continuously expand expertise in next‑generation PCIe, CXL, and storage architectures, as well as Switchtec product capabilities.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, QA, and product management teams to define requirements and deliverables for new and existing products.
• Troubleshoot and resolve firmware and system‑level issues using advanced tools, methodologies, and data‑center‑class debug workflows.
• Travel to customer sites as needed to debug systems, support deployments, and ensure successful integration of PCIe switch products.

Requirements / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering, with 12+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional, geographically distributed teams to drive engineering excellence and successful project outcomes.
• Working knowledge of PCI Express (PCIe).
• Strong software and firmware development skills, with deep experience debugging multi‑threaded architectures.
• Proficiency in C and C++ programming; experience developing test scripts in Perl, Bash, or Python.
• Prior experience with UNIX and Windows (Wintel) driver development, as well as firmware development on lightweight embedded operating systems such as ThreadX, VxWorks, eCos, or similar RTOS platforms.
• Customer‑facing engineering experience, including technical support, issue analysis, and root‑cause debugging.
• Hands‑on experience using bench‑top equipment such as protocol analyzers, exercisers, logic analyzers, and other storage‑related test tools.
• Strong understanding of system‑level firmware/hardware interactions, with excellent analytical and problem‑solving capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in the storage industry, with familiarity collaborating closely with marketing and sales teams.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively engage across cross‑functional engineering and customer teams.
• Hands‑on experience with RISC‑based embedded processors, preferably MIPS.
• Strong debugging capabilities, including experience with kernel‑level debugging tools (e.g., WinDbg), JTAG, and serial interfaces.
• Comprehensive understanding of computer system design, including server and storage architectures, microprocessors, I/O interfaces, electronics hardware development, and basic programming in Python and C.
• Proficiency in system and hardware debugging using laboratory tools such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, and Linux‑based diagnostic utilities.

Travel Time: 0% - 25%

Pay Range: We offer a total compensation package that ranks among the best in the industry. It consists of competitive base pay, restricted stock units, and quarterly bonus payments. In addition to these components, our package includes health benefits that begin day one, retirement savings plans, and an industry leading IESPP program with a 6‑month look back feature. Find more information about all our benefits at the link below: Benefits of working at Microchip The annual base salary range for this position is $107,000-$226,000.* *Range is dependent on numerous factors including job location, skills and experience.

Ontario Accommodation

Your accessibility is important to us. If you would like to contact us about our website or need help completing the application process, please email us at [e-mail]. In accordance with applicable laws (including human rights and accessibility legislation in Ontario), accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process. Let us know what type of accommodations you require to help remove barriers so that you can participate throughout the interview process. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

At Microchip, employees are our greatest strength. As one of the top performing semiconductor companies in the world, we are led by a set of guiding values and a mission to empower innovation to enhance the human experience. We work tirelessly to create a company culture that highlights how important every employee is to our mission.