Senior Firmware Engineer (FTL)

Relevante; Rancho Cordova (CA); On-site; USD 153,000 - 207,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

401(k) - Employer Match

Job summary

Relevante in Rancho Cordova, CA is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer (FTL) to design and maintain the Flash Translation Layer, including I/O flow, garbage collection and wear leveling to maximize NAND endurance and data integrity.

Key requirements include 3+ years in SSD controller/firmware architecture, strong C/C++ programming and data structures, and hands-on experience with FTL algorithms, JTAG/ICE debugging, and NAND/SSD protocols.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or Computer Science.
• 3+ years in software/firmware applications engineering.
• 3+ years in SSD controller/firmware architecture.
• Strong C/C++ programming and data structures experience.
• Experience with JTAG/ICE debuggers.
• Experience with Git version control.

Responsibilities

• Design and Maintain FTL Architecture with GC and wear leveling.
• Block management and metadata handling, including data migration.
• Error handling for NAND-related issues and RAID encode/decode.
• Power-loss protection design and recovery flow.
• Performance optimization of channels, dies, and memory.
• Debugging and validation with cross-functional teams.

Skills

SSD controller

FTL development

C/C++ programming

Data structures

JTAG/ICE debugging

NAND flash knowledge

PCIe/NVMe protocols

Education

Master's degree in EE/CE/CS

Tools

Git

Job description

Salary: $ 180,000.00

We have partnered with a large Semiconductor Manufacturing and Technology Services in the Rancho Cordova, CA area to provide them with an Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL).

Prioritized Must Have Skills for the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

#1. 3+ years of experience in SSD controller and firmware architecture, including FTL development.

#2. Strong C/C++ programming and data structures experience in software/firmware development.

#3. Hands-on experience with FTL algorithms, including Garbage Collection, Wear Leveling, bad block management, metadata handling, and NAND error management.

#4. Hands-on experience with JTAG/ICE debugging and firmware debugging, validation, and root-cause analysis.

#5. Strong understanding of NAND flash and SSD technologies, including PCIe/NVMe or SATA protocols and power-loss protection/recovery.

Responsibilities of the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

• Design and Maintain FTL Architecture
  • Develop and maintain the Flash Translation Layer (FTL), including I/O flow, Garbage Collection, and Wear Leveling algorithms to ensure data integrity and maximize NAND endurance.
• Block Management and Metadata Handling
  • Implement bad block detection, isolation, and data migration mechanisms to manage block lifecycle.
  • Design robust metadata structures to support fast mapping table reconstruction and system boot.
• Error Handling Mechanisms
  • Prevent and mitigate NAND-related issues such as read disturb, program/erase failures, and retention loss.
  • Implement RAID encode/decode flows to guarantee data reliability.
• Power-Loss Protection
  • Design and implement power-loss protection algorithms to maintain data consistency and metadata integrity during unexpected shutdowns.
  • Verify and optimize power-loss recovery flow to ensure fast and reliable system startup.
• Performance and Resource Optimization
  • Optimize channel/die/plane access scheduling and parallelism to improve throughput and reduce latency.
  • Enhance DRAM/SRAM usage efficiency and reduce Write Amplification for better endurance and performance.
• Debugging and Validation
  • Develop and analyze FTL traces and logs for performance profiling and issue root-cause analysis.
  • Conduct stress testing, mixed workload testing, power-fail tests, and corner-case verification to ensure firmware stability and reliability.
  • Collaborate with Validation, Hardware, and ASIC teams to resolve cross-functional issues and ensure system robustness.

Requirements of the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of experience in software/firmware applications engineering.
• At least 3 years of experience with SSD controller/firmware architecture.
• Strong experience in C/C++ programming and data structures.
• Hands-on experience with JTAG/ICE debuggers.
• Experience with version control software such as Git.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a small team.
• Must be willing to learn quickly and work effectively as a team player.
• Strong oral, written, and presentation skills for communication and documentation.
• Ability to work independently with minimal day-to-day supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and bus protocol analyzers.
• Familiarity with SATA/PCIe (NVMe) protocols.
• Familiarity with NAND flash protocols.
• Linux system debugging experience.
• Fluency in reading and writing Mandarin preferred.

Other Key Requirements:

• Onsite opportunity.
• No Corp-to-Corp (C2C) arrangements.
• Visa sponsorship may be available on a case-by-case basis for qualified candidates whose skills and experience align with the requirements of the position.
• Relocation assistance may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Benefits of the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• 401(k) - Employer Match