Principal Firmware Engineer – Digital ASIC

Blue Origin; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 269,000 - 377,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Job summary

Blue Origin in Cupertino, CA is seeking a hands-on technical leader to architect, develop, integrate, and deliver complex embedded firmware for custom DBF ASICs. You will own firmware from architecture through production testing and manufacturing, interfacing with design, RF, and test teams to ensure timely delivery.

You will drive pre-silicon development using simulation, emulation, and FPGA prototyping, and lead post-silicon bring-up and validation to production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in embedded firmware development or hardware/software systems.
• Proficient in C for bare-metal and resource-constrained environments.
• Experience architecting and delivering firmware for complex digital ASICs/SoCs
• Strong understanding of embedded architectures, memory systems, interrupts, DMA, and hardware registers
• Ability to own complex firmware development and drive milestones

Responsibilities

• Own architecture, design, implementation, integration, and validation of embedded firmware for custom ASICs (DBF ASICs).
• Develop ROM code and runtime firmware including beam pointing, calibration, and management tasks.
• Define hardware/software interfaces and initialization sequences.
• Develop firmware verification strategies, test plans, and automated validation.
• Lead pre-silicon firmware development using simulation and FPGA prototyping.
• Lead post-silicon bring-up and diagnostic capabilities for production readiness.
• Deliver end-to-end firmware to silicon validation and manufacturing teams.
• Collaborate with ASIC design, RF, and test teams to meet requirements.
• Provide technical leadership through reviews and mentoring.

Skills

Embedded firmware

C programming

Low-level software

HW/SW integration

Pre-silicon verification

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related

Tools

QEMU

Palladium

ZeBu

FPGA prototyping

Job description

Job Description

As part of a hardworking team of specialists and engineers, you will serve as a hands-on technical leader responsible for the architecture, development, integration, and delivery of complex embedded firmware for custom digital ASICs in the TeraWave system. You will own firmware development throughout the silicon lifecycle, from architecture and pre-silicon verification through post-silicon bring-up, system validation, production testing, and manufacturing. This role requires deep technical expertise in low-level embedded firmware, custom digital silicon, and hardware/software integration, along with the ability to independently drive complex technical execution and deliver production-quality firmware. You will work closely with ASIC design, verification, hardware, communications systems, test, and manufacturing engineering teams to ensure successful firmware integration and delivery against program milestones.

• Own and lead the architecture, design, implementation, integration, and validation of complex embedded firmware for custom digital ASICs, including Digital Beamforming (DBF) ASICs.


• Develop ROM code and runtime firmware for DBF ASICs, including beam pointing, analog calibration, FEIC management, SerDes link management, secure boot, telemetry, and sideband control.


• Define and own hardware/software interfaces, including register interfaces, control protocols, initialization sequences, interrupt handling, and hardware/software partitioning.


• Develop comprehensive firmware verification and validation strategies, including detailed test plans, functional testing, integration testing, regression testing, and performance characterization.


• Drive pre-silicon firmware development, integration, debugging, and verification using simulation, emulation, and FPGA prototyping platforms.


• Lead post-silicon firmware bring-up, debugging, characterization, and validation of custom ASICs, resolving complex hardware/software integration issues.


• Own end-to-end firmware delivery to silicon validation, system test, and manufacturing teams, including production test firmware, diagnostic capabilities, firmware release packages, and supporting documentation.


• Work closely with test and manufacturing engineering teams to define firmware requirements, develop production test and diagnostic capabilities, and support manufacturing readiness.


• Develop and maintain automated firmware testing frameworks, continuous integration workflows, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation environments.


• Establish firmware development methodologies, coding standards, release management practices, and quality requirements to ensure robust, reliable, and maintainable firmware.


• Identify and mitigate technical risks related to firmware architecture, silicon functionality, real-time performance, and hardware/software integration.


• Collaborate with ASIC design, verification, RF, communications systems, platform software, and manufacturing teams to ensure firmware meets functional, performance, and system-level requirements.


• Provide technical leadership through architecture reviews, design reviews, hands-on problem solving, and mentoring engineers while remaining directly involved in firmware development and execution.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.


• 10+ years of experience in embedded firmware development, low-level software, or hardware/software systems development.


• Extensive hands-on experience developing embedded firmware in C, including bare-metal and resource-constrained environments.


• Demonstrated experience architecting, developing, and delivering firmware for complex digital ASICs, SoCs, microcontrollers, or hardware accelerators.


• Strong understanding of embedded processor architectures, memory systems, interrupts, DMA, peripheral interfaces, and hardware register programming.


• Experience defining hardware/software interfaces and working closely with ASIC or FPGA design and verification teams.


• Proven experience developing firmware verification strategies, detailed test plans, and automated validation frameworks.


• Demonstrated experience with pre-silicon firmware integration, hardware/software debugging, and post-silicon bring-up.


• Experience delivering firmware to silicon validation, system test, or manufacturing teams, including supporting production testing and debugging.


• Demonstrated ability to independently own complex firmware development efforts, drive technical decisions, and deliver against program milestones.


• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with RF and communications systems, including OFDM, digital beamforming, phased antenna arrays, and 3GPP specifications.


• Experience developing firmware for custom communications ASICs, RFICs, beamforming processors, or DSP-based systems.


• Experience with RTOSes and hard real-time constraints, including FreeRTOS or Zephyr.


• Experience with Arm Cortex-M architecture and instruction set.


• Experience integrating and controlling DSP accelerators and hardware processing engines.


• Experience with Rust, particularly no-std Rust for embedded systems.


• Experience with secure boot, firmware authentication, and embedded security architectures.


• Experience with high-speed interfaces, including SerDes initialization, configuration, monitoring, and diagnostics.


• Experience with CI workflows, automated firmware regression testing, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation.


• Understanding of board-level hardware design, including the ability to interpret schematics, ASIC specifications, and component data sheets.


• Experience with pre-silicon firmware development and testing using QEMU, Palladium, ZeBu, or FPGA prototyping platforms.


• Experience with production test firmware, manufacturing diagnostics, silicon characterization, and firmware release management.


• Demonstrated experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership across complex silicon development programs.

Special Mentions

Relocation provided. Interviews will include a technical assessment.

Base Pay Range for:

CA applicants is $269,175.00 - $376,843.95 WA applicants is $269,175.00 - $376,843.95. Other site ranges may differ.

Culture Statement

Don’t meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Export Control Regulations

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Background Check

Required for all positions: Blue’s Standard Background Check. Required for Certain Job Profiles: Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation. Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training. Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical.

Benefits

• Medical


• dental


• vision


• basic and supplemental life insurance


• paid parental leave


• short disability


• long-term disability


• 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%


• Education Support Program


• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)


• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.

Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company’s intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company’s results, or other factors at the company’s sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on "Know Your Rights," please see here .

Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin’s affirmative action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us at [e-mail] . Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.