Senior Firmware Engineer

Silicon Motion; Rancho Cordova (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual merit increases

Year-end bonus

401(k) Employer Matching

Comprehensive health insurance plans

Job summary

A leading semiconductor manufacturer is looking for a Senior Firmware Engineer to design and maintain the NVMe protocol stack and ensure compliance with specifications. This full-time position requires a Master's degree and at least 3 years of experience in firmware engineering, specifically in SSD architecture, along with strong skills in C/C++ programming. The role offers a competitive salary range of $150,000.00 to $210,000.00 per year, comprehensive health insurance, and various performance-based rewards.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of experience in software/firmware applications engineering.
• Strong experience in SSD controller/firmware architecture.
• Hands-on experience with JTAG/ICE debuggers.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain the NVMe protocol stack.
• Implement NVMe command parsing and flows.
• Capture and analyze PCIe/NVMe transactions.
• Verify compatibility with NVMe compliance tools.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Debugging with JTAG/ICE

Version control (Git)

Communication skills

Education

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science

Tools

Logic analyzer

Oscilloscope

Bus protocol analyzer

Job description

$150,000.00/yr - $210,000.00/yr

Job Title: Senior Firmware Engineer

Protocol Stack Design and Maintenance

• Design and maintain the NVMe protocol stack, including Admin and I/O command processing, and Submission/Completion Queue management.
• Ensure full compliance with the latest NVMe specifications and PCIe Gen5 protocol requirements.
• Design and implement SMBus and I3C communication protocols, ensuring reliable and accurate data exchange with the host controller.

Command Processing and Flow Control

• Implement NVMe command parsing, data transfer mechanisms, and completion flows, supporting multi-namespace operations.
• Implement SMBus/I3C read/write commands and data flow, including status monitoring, temperature/voltage reporting, and control command handling.

Error Reporting and Recovery

• Implement proper status code reporting, Asynchronous Event Notification (AEN), and error recovery flows to ensure host compatibility.
• Handle timeout, abort, and reset scenarios to maintain system stability and minimize host impact.
• Design SMBus/I3C error detection and retry mechanisms to prevent transmission errors from causing system failures.

Compliance and Interoperability

• Verify compatibility with industry-standard NVMe compliance tools and host platforms.
• Validate SMBus and I3C communication against JEDEC/MIPI specifications to ensure broad interoperability with different host systems and controllers.

Debug and Validation

• Capture and analyze PCIe/NVMe transactions using protocol analyzers, logic analyzers, and firmware logs.
• Monitor SMBus/I3C transfers, analyze timing and error conditions, and ensure firmware implementation is stable and reliable.
• Collaborate with validation teams to execute compliance, stress, and corner‑case tests, including hot‑plug, power management, error injection, and multi‑protocol concurrency tests.
• Provide root‑cause analysis and implement fixes for protocol‑related issues found during validation or in customer systems.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related fields.
• At least 3 years work experience in each of the following: software/firmware applications engineering; SSD controller/firmware architecture; strong experience in C/C++ programming and data structure; hands‑on experience with JTAG/ICE debuggers; experience with version control software like Git.
• Competent to work independently as well as in a small team collaboration environment.
• Must be willing to learn fast and execute as a team player.
• Good oral, written and presentation skills for communication and documentation.
• Ability to work independently with a minimum of day‑to‑day supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• The ability to operate logic analyzer, oscilloscope and bus protocol analyzer is valuable.
• Familiar with SATA/PCIe (NVMe) protocols.
• Familiar with NAND flash protocols.
• Fluent in reading and writing Mandarin preferred.

Seniority Level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment Type

Full‑time

Industry

Semiconductor Manufacturing

Compensation, Benefits, Rewards and Culture

• Highly competitive salaries differentiated by performance.
• Annual merit increases.
• Year‑end bonus.
• RSU for eligible employees.
• Invention and Patent Awards.
• 401(k) Employer Matching.
• Length of Service Awards.
• We offer comprehensive health insurance plans for eligible employees and dependents. There are plans to meet the needs of you and your family.

For applying job positions or more information regarding the recruitment, please contact: [e-mail]