Firmware Principal Engineer

MediaTek; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 301,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Short and long term incentive programs

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Company paid holidays

Sick Leave

Vacation time

Parental leave

401K and more

Job summary

MediaTek in San Jose, CA or Woburn, MA seeks an experienced firmware leader to architect, develop, and bring up embedded firmware for advanced optical modules and engines. You will define MCU/processor, memory, boot, and peripheral requirements; generate digital requirements for custom optical control ASICs; and mentor engineers while driving CI and robust firmware development flows across programs.

Salary ranges from $180,000 to $301,000 with performance bonuses and a comprehensive benefits

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 7+ years for Senior Principal; 10+ years for Distinguished.
• Strong background in optical module firmware development.
• Experience defining embedded firmware architecture, including MCU/processor, memory sizing, boot, and peripheral requirements.
• Experience with ARM and RISC-V embedded architectures.
• Experience generating digital requirements for custom optical control ASICs.
• Hands-on firmware bring-up for complex hardware systems.
• Experience implementing CMIS for optical modules.
• Experience developing firmware for manufacturing, test, and calibration environments.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, debug, and release embedded firmware for optical engine platforms.
• Define MCU/processor, memory, boot, and peripheral requirements for optical module and engine control subsystems.
• Generate and own digital requirements and specifications for custom optical control ASICs, including control, telemetry, monitoring, interfaces, boot, memory, diagnostics, and testability.
• Partner with ASIC, RTL, verification, optical systems, and DSP teams to drive architecture definition, implementation alignment, bring-up, and debug.
• Develop firmware for PIC control algorithms and integrated photonic IC control functions; specify and integrate DAC/ADC requirements for control, monitoring, and calibration loops.
• Implement and maintain CMIS-compliant firmware for module control, telemetry, diagnostics, state management, and host interfaces.
• Lead firmware and digital bring-up for new optical module, optical engine, and control ASIC platforms.
• Develop firmware for manufacturing, test, screening, calibration, and production enablement, including calibration tables and calibration engines.
• Define and improve the firmware development flow, including build and release processes, automated testing, regression coverage, and continuous integration (CI).
• Drive root-cause analysis across lab bring-up, qualification, manufacturing, and field-return scenarios.
• Mentor engineers through technical leadership, design reviews, code reviews, and debug support.

Skills

Embedded firmware

ARM architecture

RISC-V architecture

Firmware bring-up

Mentoring engineers

CI for embedded systems

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Electrical/Computer Engineering or Computer Science

Tools

CMIS

ARM

RISC-V

CI tooling

Job description

We are seeking an experienced firmware leader to architect, develop, and bring up embedded firmware for advanced optical modules and optical engines. This role spans module management, CMIS implementation, PIC control algorithms, calibration, manufacturing and test firmware, and close collaboration with optical systems, DSP, ASIC, manufacturing, test, calibration, and reliability teams. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in optical engine firmware, defines ARM- and RISC-V-based control architectures, generates digital requirements for custom optical control ASICs, drives robust firmware development flow and CI, and mentors engineers across programs.

The position is open for San Jose, CA or Woburn, MA.

Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, debug, and release embedded firmware for optical engine platforms.
• Define MCU/processor, memory, boot, and peripheral requirements for optical module and optical engine control subsystems.
• Generate and own digital requirements and specifications for custom optical control ASICs, including control, telemetry, monitoring, interfaces, boot, memory, diagnostics, and testability.
• Partner with ASIC, RTL, verification, optical systems, and DSP teams to drive architecture definition, implementation alignment, bring-up, and debug.
• Develop firmware for PIC control algorithms and integrated photonic IC control functions; specify and integrate DAC/ADC requirements for control, monitoring, and calibration loops.
• Implement and maintain CMIS-compliant firmware for module control, telemetry, diagnostics, state management, and host interfaces.
• Lead firmware and digital bring-up for new optical module, optical engine, and control ASIC platforms.
• Develop firmware for manufacturing, test, screening, calibration, and production enablement, including calibration tables and calibration engines.
• Define and improve the firmware development flow, including build and release processes, automated testing, regression coverage, and continuous integration (CI).
• Drive root-cause analysis across lab bring-up, qualification, manufacturing, and field-return scenarios.
• Mentor engineers through technical leadership, design reviews, code reviews, and debug support.

Main Requirements and Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 7+ years of relevant experience for Senior Principal; 10+ years for Distinguished.
• Strong background in optical module firmware development, including optical engines.
• Proven experience defining embedded firmware architecture, including MCU/processor selection, memory sizing, boot, and peripheral requirements.
• Experience with ARM and RISC-V embedded architectures.
• Experience generating digital requirements for custom optical control ASICs.
• Hands-on experience with firmware and digital bring-up of complex hardware systems.
• Experience implementing CMIS for optical modules.
• Experience developing firmware for manufacturing, test, and calibration environments, including calibration tables and calibration engines.
• Strong knowledge of embedded interfaces, including I2C, I3C, SPI, MDIO, GPIO, etc.
• Experience specifying or using DAC/ADC devices for integrated photonic IC control.
• Strong proficiency in embedded C and low-level hardware/firmware debug.
• Experience establishing firmware development workflows and CI for embedded systems.
• Demonstrated success working cross-functionally with optical systems, DSP, ASIC, manufacturing, test, calibration, and reliability teams.
• Proven ability to mentor and develop engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with root of trust, secure boot, and secure firmware upgrade mechanisms.
• Experience leading architecture across multiple optical module, optical engine, or control ASIC programs.
• Experience supporting product qualification, reliability investigations, and failure analysis.

Salary Range: $180,000- $301,000

Employee may be eligible for performance bonus, short and long term incentive programs. Actual total compensation will be dependent upon the individual's skills, experience and qualifications. In addition, MediaTek provides a variety of benefits including comprehensive health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays, Sick Leave, Vacation time, Parental leave, 401K and more.

MediaTek is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.