Senior Embedded Firmware Design Engineer

Sierra Wireless; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Semtech Corporation in San Diego is seeking a Senior Embedded Firmware Design Engineer to create, validate and optimize firmware for low-power mixed-signal sensing platforms. You will shape chip and system interactions with cross‑functional teams across application, digital, analog and hardware.

Responsibilities include pre‑silicon validation, post‑silicon testing support, and mentoring juniors. Proficiency in C/C++, assembly, Python, and MCU families (ARM/RISC-V/STM32) and experience with test

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of industry experience in embedded firmware for mixed-signal ICs.
• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• Strong analytical, synthesis and problem solving skills.
• Experience with MCU based systems (ARM, RISC-V, PIC, STM32), architecture, and instruction set.
• Proficiency in C/C++ and assembly language programming, Python, debugging and AI coding tools.
• Experience with bare-metal firmware development.
• Testability and diagnostic feature design experience.
• Experience with version control, release management, integration, unit and regression testing.
• Demonstrated technical leadership and innovation.
• Experience with standard hardware protocols (I2C, I3C, SPI, MIPI, JTAG, PCIe).
• Hands-on experience with development boards, FPGAs, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes and measurement methods.

Responsibilities

• Define, develop, verify and optimize embedded firmware for low-power mixed-signal circuits.
• Design embedded firmware functions and systems from specification to production support.
• Develop and deploy rule-based and ML-based inference firmware and AI-assisted workflows.
• Implement testability and diagnostic features to support hardware testing.
• Generate technical documentation and drive design reviews.
• Define pre-silicon simulation validation, unit and regression testing, debug, emulation, and FPGA prototyping.
• Support top verification.
• Specify and implement system-level and hardware-firmware architectures and memory sizing.
• Provide post-silicon customer technical support and field issue resolution.
• Mentor and supervise junior engineers; collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Skills

Embedded firmware

C/C++

Python scripting

ARM/RISC-V/STM32

Debugging

System-level design

Communication skills

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering

Tools

Development boards

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

JTAG

Spreadsheets/IDE tooling

Job description

Location

Location: San Diego, CA - Hybrid: 4 days in office, Friday remote

Our Team

Semtech Corporation is a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for high-end consumer, enterprise computing, communications, and industrial equipment. As our future market opportunities have increased in recent years, we have continued to invest in disruptive analog platforms and have created innovative new solutions for a wide range of leading-edge products.

The Sensing Product Group located in our San Diego office has unique expertise in system-level platform solutions for Sensing Products including Touch & Proximity. These are leading edge low power touch-interface solutions integrated with highly accurate ADCs for enhanced sensing performance. These ultra-small, feature-rich sensing systems are optimized for a wide range of battery-powered, portable applications such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, wearables, handheld devices and other consumer, industrial or automotive control applications.

Job Summary

The Senior Embedded Firmware Design Engineer is responsible for designing, developing and validating a variety of firmware-based systems and functions. The role focuses on high-accuracy, low-power sensing platforms, including firmware for mixed-signal sensing SoCs with on-chip ADCs, proximity, touch and gesture recognition. Ahead of detailed design, the Senior Engineer, Embedded Firmware Design, will actively participate in the definition of the chip, systems, and blocks including interactions with application, system, digital hardware, analog, and cross functional teams.

The role also includes innovation & technical leadership, mentoring and supervision of junior engineers, pre-silicon and post-silicon validations or their supervision, support to application and production test engineers, and definition of test methodology.

Responsibilities

• Define, develop, verify and optimize embedded firmware for low-power mixed-signal circuits. Design embedded firmware functions, sub and full systems, from specification definition to support to production. Develop and deploy rule-based and ML-based inference firmware, leveraging AI-assisted development tools and workflows. Implement testability and diagnosis features to support hardware testing. Generate technical documentation and drive design reviews.
• Define and implement pre-silicon simulation validation, unit and regression testing, debug, emulation, and FPGA prototyping. Support top verification.
• Specify and implement system-level and hardware-firmware architectures, from top-level specification analysis to system and firmware optimization. Evaluate and specify CPU/micro-controller selection and ROM/RAM memory sizing based on system requirements and constraints.
• Support silicon lab evaluation, performance characterization and debug. Provide comprehensive post-silicon customer technical support, RMA analysis and field issue resolution.
• Interface with system, digital hardware, analog, verification and cross functional teams.
• Mentor and supervise junior engineers.
• Technical support to test, product and application engineers.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8-10 years of industry experience in embedded firmware for mixed-signal integrated circuits
• B.S. or M.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering
• Strong analytical, synthesis and problem solving skills
• In-depth knowledge and experience in firmware development for mixed-signal ICs, HW-SW architectures and co-design, real-time embedded systems, data path, signal processing & algorithms, system trade-offs (power, speed, hardware resources, memory footprint)
• Strong background with MCU based systems (ARM, RISC-V, PIC, STM32), architecture, and instruction set
• Proficiency in C/C++ and assembly language programming, scripting languages (Python), debugging capabilities, industry leading embedded software suites (IDE), AI coding tools (e.g. Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot), and evaluation/validation of AI-generated code
• Experience with bare-metal firmware development.
• Design for test experience including implementation of testability and diagnostic features.
• Experience with configurations, version control, release management, integration, unit and regression testing
• Demonstration of technical leadership and innovation
• Experience with standard hardware protocols (I2C, I3C, SPI, MIPI, JTAG, PCIe)
• Hands-on experience with development boards, FPGAs, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, supplies, multimeters and the associated measurement methods
• Independent, self-motivated, rigorous, innovating, team player and able to follow through
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of system-level aspects: signal processing, mixed-signal, digital hardware, analog, modelling, test and application

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with system/digital design methods & tools, Matlab, SV/Verilog/VHDL etc.
• Experience with consumer, industrial, or automotive market circuit developments

The intent of this job description is to describe the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically included in this description.

All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug‑free workplace.

A reasonable estimate of the pay range for this position is $116K - $200K. There are several factors taken into consideration in determining base salary, including but not limited to: job-related qualifications, skills, education and experience, as well as job location and the value of other elements of an employee’s total compensation package.