BIOS Senior/Lead Software Engineer

Arista Networks; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Arista Networks in Austin, Texas, is seeking a Firmware Engineer to design and maintain CPU firmware and BIOS software. This role involves collaborating with hardware engineers, diagnosing firmware issues, and leading projects from inception to deployment. A strong background in C programming, familiarity with CPU architectures, and hands-on experience in firmware environments are essential. Join a forward-thinking team that values innovation and problem-solving in a dynamic work environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in firmware, BIOS, or boot loader environments.
• Expert knowledge in C programming is required.
• Experience in diagnosing problems in low-level firmware.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain low-level CPU software in Arista products.
• Develop tests using C, C++, and Python.
• Work with hardware engineers to qualify new CPUs.

Skills

C programming

C++ programming

Python programming

Problem solving

Troubleshooting

Software design

Education

BS in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 8 years experience

MS in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 6 years experience

Ph.D. in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 3 years experience

Tools

Linux

x86 architecture

ARM architecture

Job description

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

Arista Networks is an equal opportunity employer. Arista makes all hiring and employment‑related decisions in a non‑discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or any other factor determined to be unlawful under applicable federal, state, or law law. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.