Principal Engineer - Firmware

FHLB Des Moines; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 6,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Microchip Technology Inc. invites experienced storage-driver engineers to join the Driver Development Team to design, implement, and optimize storage drivers for Linux and Windows platforms. You will collaborate across hardware, software, and QA teams on robust storage solutions.

Lead performance tuning, resolve complex I/O bottlenecks, and mentor junior engineers while contributing to open-source efforts and upstream projects. Strong kernel knowledge and CI/CD experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 8–14 years hands-on experience developing and maintaining storage drivers for Linux or Windows.
• Deep understanding of Linux kernel internals or Windows kernel internals and driver architecture (WDM, KMDF, UMDF).
• Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ programming and debugging.
• Extensive experience with storage protocols such as SCSI, NVMe, PCIe, SAS/SATA.
• Proven ability to optimize driver performance and analyze I/O bottlenecks using ftrace, perf, crash, or gdb.
• Strong knowledge of Windows storage virtualization and Hyper-V I/O paths.
• Experience with up-stream contribution, code reviews, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong experience with Git and CI/CD pipelines for driver validation.
• Experience with WHQL certification testing for Windows drivers.
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize storage drivers for Linux or Windows platforms.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, and QA teams to deliver robust storage solutions.
• Analyze and resolve complex storage driver issues in development and production.
• Drive performance tuning, scalability improvements, and reliability enhancements.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers and peers.
• Participate in architectural reviews, code reviews, and technical decision-making.
• Author and maintain comprehensive technical documentation.
• Stay current with storage protocols and kernel advancements.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Linux kernel internals

Windows kernel internals

Storage driver development

NVMe/SCSI/PCIe protocols

Performance profiling

Debugging (gdb/windbg)

Git version control

CI/CD for drivers

Open-source contributions

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering

Tools

ftrace

perf

Crash

gdb

WinDbg

Windows Performance Analyzer

Git

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

As a member of the Data Center Solutions' Driver Development Team, you will collaborate with experienced professionals to develop drivers and software for state-of-the-art System-on-Chip (SoC) storage devices. Reporting to the Manager of Driver Development, your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Responsibilities

• Designing, developing, and optimizing storage drivers for Linux or Windows platforms.
• Collaborating with hardware, software, and QA teams to deliver robust, high-quality storage solutions.
• Analyzing and resolving complex issues related to storage drivers in both development and production environments.
• Driving performance tuning, scalability improvements, and reliability enhancements for storage subsystems.
• Mentoring and providing technical guidance to junior engineers and peers.
• Participating in architectural and code reviews, as well as technical decision-making.
• Authoring and maintaining comprehensive technical documentation.
• Staying current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and advancements in storage protocols, Linux kernel or Windows.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 8-14 years of hands-on experience developing and maintaining storage drivers for Linux or Windows environments.
• Deep understanding of Linux kernel internals or Windows kernel internals and driver architecture (WDM, KMDF, UMDF).
• Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ programming and debugging.
• Extensive experience with storage protocols such as SCSI, NVMe, PCIe, SAS/SATA.
• Proven ability to optimize driver performance, analyze I/O bottlenecks, and use tools like ftrace, perf, crash, gdb, etc.
• Strong knowledge of Windows storage virtualization and hypervisor-guest I/O paths (e.g., Hyper-V).
• Proven track record of delivering production-quality driver code for enterprise environments.
• Proven ability to optimize driver performance, analyze I/O bottlenecks, and use tools like WinDbg, Windows Performance Analyzer, and other debugging/profiling utilities.
• Experience in design, development, code reviews, upstream contributions, and collaborating with cross-functional teams (Firmware, QA).
• Strong experience with version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Strong experience with version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Experience with certification test for drivers with Windows (WHQL).
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Experience contributing to open-source storage projects or the Linux kernel.
• Experience with performance profiling, tuning, and benchmarking of storage subsystems.
• Ability to work effectively within and across teams, including board solutions, firmware/software development, and QA/Test automation.
• Highly motivated, self-driven, and able to achieve goals independently.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks and CI/CD pipelines for driver validation.

Travel Time: 0% - 25%

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.