Software/Firmware Validation Architect

Ampere; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 225,500 - 338,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Unlimited flextime

Paid holidays

Job summary

Ampere in Durham, NC seeks a seasoned Firmware/Software Test & Validation Architect to define and lead the performance, reliability, and co-verification strategy for a high‑performance, energy‑efficient AI compute platform.

You will guide testing across firmware, drivers, OS, AI runtimes, and critical applications post-silicon, ensuring robust validation and customer enablement with strong leadership for cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical/Electronics/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• 10+ years of embedded software/firmware test, verification, or validation experience with 3-5 years in an Architect/Lead role.
• Deep expertise in architing firmware/software test and validation for SoC and hardware platforms.
• Experience with HIL/SIL simulation environments for embedded systems.
• Proficiency in test automation (Robot Framework, pytest) and CI/CD integration (Jenkins, GitHub Actions).

Responsibilities

• Define the overarching test and validation strategy and roadmap for firmware, software, system, and reference layers.
• Architect end-to-end test infrastructure, frameworks, and automation across firmware/software layers.
• Drive integration of Continuous Testing pipelines for all test phases.
• Define methodologies for Fault Injection Testing to validate coverage and failures.
• Specify requirements for execution time/latency analysis of time-critical software components.
• Design strategies for simulation/emulation/virtual platforms for embedded software.
• Lead AI regression and performance benchmarking with KPIs like latency and throughput.

Skills

Firmware testing

Test automation

C/C++

Linux/RTOS

CI/CD pipelines

HIL/SIL

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical/Electronics/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, AI, or related field

Tools

Robot Framework

Pytest

Jenkins

GitHub Actions

Job description

Invent the future with us. Ampere is a semiconductor design company for a new era, leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high-performance, energy efficient AI compute.

Description

Invent the future with us. Ampere is a semiconductor design company for a new era, leading the future of computing with an innovative approach to CPU design focused on high-performance, energy efficient AI compute. As a pioneer in the new frontier of energy efficient high-performance computing, Ampere is part of the Softbank Group of companies driving sustainable computing for AI, Cloud, and Edge applications.

About The Role

We are seeking a visionary and highly experienced Firmware/Software Test & Validation Architect to define, design, specify, and guide the implementation of our comprehensive test and validation strategy. In this pivotal role, you will be instrumental in establishing the robust quality and reliability framework for our reference development platform, ensuring it meets the highest standards for performance, reliability, and mission-critical applications. You will be the thought leader for validating the entire software stack – from firmware and device drivers to the operating system, AI runtimes, and critical application solutions – post-silicon, ensuring hardware-software co-verification and customer enablement.

What You'll Achieve

• Define the overarching test and validation strategy and roadmap for Firmware, Software, System, and Reference Solution layers of our Arm-based reference hardware platforms.
• Architect the end-to-end test infrastructure, frameworks, and methodologies required to achieve robust, scalable, and automated testing across all firmware/software layers.
• Drive the integration of Continuous Testing (CT) pipelines for all test phases.
• Define methodologies for Fault Injection Testing (FIT) (HW-assisted, SW-based) to validate diagnostic coverage and failure mechanisms.
• Specify requirements and guide the application of execution time/latency analysis for time-critical software components.
• Design the strategy for simulation/emulation/virtual platform environments applicable to embedded firmware, software and applications.
• Define the approach for robust automated AI regression and performance benchmarking, including identifying relevant inference benchmarks, designing custom test harnesses for our AI accelerators, and specifying critical KPIs (e.g. latency, throughput, power efficiency per TOPS).
• Develop a strategy for test data management, including synthetic data generation and replay for AI model validation, focusing on edge cases and diverse scenarios.
• Provide expert technical guidance and mentorship to Firmware Verification, Software Verification, System Integration & Test, and Solution Validation teams.
• Drive the selection and adoption of industry-leading test tools, simulators, analyzers, and methodologies.
• Collaborate closely with Hardware Design, Firmware Development, Software Development, and Product Management teams to ensure alignment of test strategies with product requirements and customer needs.
• Drive continuous improvement in test methodologies, automation, and overall quality assurance processes.
• Ensure comprehensive documentation of all test plans, results, and architectural decisions.
• Contribute to the creation of customer-facing documentation, best practices, and SDK examples for testing and validation on the reference platform.

About You

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical/Electronics/Computer Engineering, Computer Science, , Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in embedded software/firmware test, verification, or validation, with at least 3-5 years in an Architect or Lead role defining strategy.
• Demonstrated deep expertise in architecting firmware/software test and validation strategies for complex SoC and hardware platforms.
• Proven experience with HIL/SIL simulation environments for embedded systems.
• Expertise in test automation frameworks (e.g. Robot Framework, pytest), scripting languages (e.g., Python), and CI/CD pipeline integration (Jenkins, Gitlab/Github runners)
• Proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems, Linux/RTOS drivers and environments, and Arm-based architecture
• Working knowledge of industry standards and hardware and software implementation related to I2C, I3C, PCIe, SPI, Ethernet, MCTP/PLDM, etc.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and guide cross-functional teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a meticulous attention to detail.
• Willingness to learn and explore new technical frontiers.

In addition to the above, the following is also highly desirable:

• Working knowledge of AI performance benchmarking for hardware accelerators, including experience with relevant methodologies and metrics.
• Experience with AI frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, ONNX, and their deployment on server and edge devices.
• Familiarity with security testing methodologies for embedded systems.
• Experience in a customer-facing role, defining and supporting test strategies for partner companies.

What We'll Offer

At Ampere we believe in taking care of our employees and providing a competitive total rewards package that includes base pay, cash long-term incentive, and comprehensive benefits. The full base pay range for this role is between $225,500 and $338,500, except in the San Francisco Bay Area where the range is between $237,000 and $356,000.

Our benefits include health, wellness, and financial programs that support employees through every stage of life.

Benefit Highlights Include

• Premium medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, as well as income protection and a 401K retirement plan, so that you can feel secure in your health and financial future.
• Unlimited Flextime and 10+ paid holidays so that you can embrace a healthy work-life balance.
• A variety of healthy snacks, energizing espresso, and refreshing drinks to keep you fueled and focused throughout the day.

And there is much more than compensation and benefits. At Ampere, we foster an inclusive culture that empowers our employees to do more and grow more. We are excited to share more about our career opportunities with you through the interview process.

Ampere is an inclusive and equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, age, veteran and/or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.