Principal Firmware Engineer

Lumentum Operations LLC; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Health and wellness benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Free gym

Subsidized meals

Employee stock options

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Lumentum Corporation in San Jose, CA, is seeking a Principal Firmware Engineer to lead architecture and development of embedded firmware for advanced optical and photonic systems. You will collaborate with hardware, systems, and manufacturing teams to deliver robust firmware that meets performance, reliability, and compliance requirements for high‑volume products.

This senior role requires 10+ years of hands-on firmware experience, deep C/C++ expertise, and experience with RTOS or bare‑metal

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS; MS preferred.
• 10+ years embedded firmware development experience.
• Expert in C/C++ for embedded systems and RTOS/bare-metal.

Responsibilities

• Own firmware architecture and roadmap for embedded platforms.
• Lead end-to-end firmware development from requirements to production.
• Develop firmware for MCU/MPU with bare-metal/RTOS/embedded Linux.
• Define interfaces across firmware, hardware, FP&A, and host software.
• Drive reliability, diagnostics, telemetry, and upgrade mechanisms.
• Lead design and code reviews; perform root-cause analysis.

Skills

C/C++ for embedded

RTOS development

Board bring-up

Debugging with JTAG

Python

Education

BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS

MS preferred

Tools

Segger IDE

GIT

Oscilloscope

Logic analyzer

Job description

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!

Position Title: Principal Firmware Engineer Employment Type: Full-time, Existing vacancy Location: San-Jose (On-Site)

About Lumentum

At Lumentum, we’re building the tech behind the world’s fastest networks and most advanced systems. Our optical and photonic solutions power everything from AI and cloud computing to data centers, telecom, and advanced manufacturing. We’re a global team of innovators working where light meets technology, solving big challenges that keep the world connected and moving forward. If shaping the future of connectivity excites you, you’ll fit right in.

Why You’ll Love This Role

Lumentum is seeking a Principal Firmware Engineer to lead architecture, design, and development of embedded firmware for advanced optical and photonic systems. In this role, you will drive technical direction across firmware platforms, partner closely with hardware, systems, and manufacturing teams, and deliver robust, high-quality firmware that meets performance, reliability, and compliance requirements for high-volume products.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Own firmware architecture and technical roadmap for one or more embedded platforms supporting optical/laser/telecom or related high-reliability systems.
• Lead end-to-end firmware development: requirements → design → implementation → verification/validation → production release → sustaining.
• Develop firmware for MCU/MPU‑based embedded systems (bare‑metal and/or RTOS and/or embedded Linux), including board bring‑up and low‑level drivers.
• Define interfaces and protocols across firmware, hardware, FPGA, optics, and host software (e.g., I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, Ethernet; higher‑layer protocols as applicable).
• Drive system reliability and quality: fault handling, diagnostics, telemetry, logging, upgrade mechanisms, and robust state‑machine design.
• Lead design reviews, code reviews, and root‑cause analysis for field issues; implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Systems, Hardware, Optical Engineering, Test, Reliability, Manufacturing, and Program Management to meet schedule and product goals.

What We’re Looking For

Education: BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (MS preferred), or equivalent experience

Experience:

Core Requirements:

• 10+ years of professional embedded firmware development experience, including ownership of shipped products.
• Expert proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems, source code control (GIT), Segger IDE, Python, data analysis tools (i.e. JMP, R), Windows & Linux.
• Deep experience with RTOS development (e.g., FreeRTOS) and Bare‑metal firmware (interrupts, bootloaders, HAL/LL drivers).
• Strong skills in board bring‑up, debugging, and lab tools (JTAG/SWD, logic analyzer, oscilloscope, optical power meter, optical wavemeter).
• Solid understanding of hardware/firmware integration and digital interfaces (I2C/SPI/UART, GPIO, ADC/DAC, timers, DMA).
• Proven ability to lead technical decisions, drive architecture, and deliver across multi-disciplinary teams.
• Hands‑on experience with optical components/modules calibration and control/PIDs including optical power control/APC loops, bias/current tuning, heater/thermal control, TEC/thermal control, optical signal monitoring, fault management and trend‑based telemetry.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience developing firmware/software for optical transceiver modules and subsystems including bring‑up, feature development, and production support.
• Strong familiarity with module management and host interfaces, including CMIS (Common Management Interface Specification); experience implementing, debugging, and validating management behaviors (state machines, paging/banked memory, diagnostics, alarms, and telemetry).
• Experience with optical components (i.e. lasers, MZ/IQ modulators, et cetera) control (i.e. PIDs), performance monitoring, and fault management.
• Understanding of manufacturing test flows and firmware support/API for calibration, characterization, and end‑of‑line verification; experience building tooling or scripts (i.e., Python) to support these flows.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strong technical judgment; able to trade off schedule, risk, and quality with clarity.
• Excellent communication: can explain complex topics to non‑firmware audiences.
• Ownership mindset and calm execution in ambiguous, high‑urgency situations.
• Mentorship and influence: raises the bar for design quality and engineering culture.

Perks You’ll Love

• Flexible time off
• Health and wellness benefits (physical and mental)
• Tuition reimbursement and career growth support
• A workplace built for you: free gym, games room, prayer room
• Subsidized meals, free coffee/tea
• Employee stock options and incentive plans
• A collaborative, innovative, and inclusive culture

Join a Team That’s Shaping the Future

At Lumentum, we’re more than just a workplace—we’re a launchpad for creativity and innovation. We’re committed to celebrating your unique talents and helping you grow. Our guiding principles—Innovate, Engage, Deliver, Excel, and Win—aren’t just words; they’re the heart of what we do. Let’s Build a Brighter Future Together! We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and provide accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process. Your uniqueness makes us stronger, sparks creativity, and drives our success. Please contact us at [e-mail] to request accommodation. Join us—your future starts here!

Pay Range

Pay Range: P70-USA-1 :$134,750.00 - $192,500.00

Disclaimer: Final base salary for the successful candidate will depend on multiple factors, including but not limited to, job location, where work will be performed, qualifications, work history and relevant experience. With our continual goal of making Lumentum a best place to work for our employees, we strive to offer employees competitive total compensation packages, which may include annual bonus, commission for certain sales roles, equity, and health and welfare benefits.

Lumentum is illuminating the networks of tomorrow with advanced photonic technologies that enable AI, data centers, telecom, industrial, and sensing applications. As AI accelerates the global demand for bandwidth and energy efficiency, we deliver the building blocks that keep data moving reliably, efficiently, and at massive scale. Our optical products support AI and compute infrastructure, cloud and DCI environments, metro and long‑haul networks, while our lasers drive breakthroughs in precision manufacturing and sensing. For nearly five decades, Lumentum has been at the intersection of light and innovation. What began as a vision with JDS Uniphase to harness the power of photonics has evolved into a global force driving the communication infrastructure of tomorrow. At Lumentum, we’re building more than a business—we’re building a team of passionate innovators whose drive to collaborate, create, and connect the world fuels everything we do. We are part of the AI technology revolution and we are illuminating the path forward. Headquartered in San Jose, California, we operate worldwide through a network of R&D, manufacturing, and sales locations.