Switch Firmware Engineer

Lenovo Inc.; North Carolina; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Lenovo seeks a hands-on Embedded Firmware Engineer to design, implement, and validate PCIe switch firmware for ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth servers. You will work with UEFI/BIOS, BMC, hardware architects, and validation teams to translate architecture specs into production-ready firmware meeting performance, power, and reliability targets.

The role demands deep debugging across silicon, firmware, and software stacks, and collaboration with external vendors to integrate firmware with system

Qualifications

• BS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or Computer Engineering.
• 6 years' minimum experience in Embedded Firmware/Software Development.
• Power user with Windows and Linux operating systems.
• Experience with firmware programming and debugging.
• Proficient with Git source version control.
• Knowledgeable in Agile methodologies and tools.
• Proficient with scripting (bash and python).
• Familiarity with C for embedded environments; experience with real‑time OSes.
• Proficient with building firmware from source.
• Experience with translating schematics to firmware.
• Experience integrating source code from external vendors.
• Strong debugging skills – ability to isolate issues across silicon, firmware, and software stacks.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, integrate, and maintain PCIe Switch firmware for servers.
• Participate in design reviews, and cross‑functional product planning meetings.
• Collaborate with external vendors to integrate PCIe switch firmware with system software and hardware.
• Develop specifications for link‑training, error handling, lane‑reconfiguration, and hot‑plug flows.
• Implement feature‑level functionality such as port-reconfiguration, host partitioning, SR‑IOV, and tuning link‑training parameters.
• Collaborate with validation and I/O teams to develop unit-test, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop test plans.
• Conduct thorough testing and debugging of firmware to ensure high-quality and reliable solutions.
• Contribute to the improvement of our firmware development processes and tools.
• Produce clear design documents, guides, and release notes.
• Stay current with PCIe specifications (PCIe 5.0/6.0, CXL, etc.), emerging standards, and industry trends.

Skills

Embedded firmware

Linux/Windows proficiency

Firmware debugging

Git version control

Scripting (bash/python)

C for embedded

RTOS familiarity

Firmware build from source

Vendor integration

Debug across silicon/firmware/software

Agile methodologies

PCIe knowledge

Education

BS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or Computer Engineering

Tools

Git

Docker

Logic analyzers

Protocol analyzers

Job description

We are Lenovo. We do what we say. We own what we do. We WOW our customers.

Lenovo is a US$83 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #153 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a full-stack portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY).

This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.

About The Role

We are seeking a hands‑on engineer with a strong background in low‑level software/firmware development, computer architecture, and PCI‑Express (PCIe) technology to join our team. You will design, implement, and validate the firmware for ultra‑low latency, high bandwidth PCIe switches enabling GPU accelerators, NICs, and drives to compute high-performance AI and datacenter workloads.

You will work closely with UEFI/BIOS, BMC, hardware architects, validation engineers, and product management to translate architecture specifications into robust, production‑ready firmware that meets stringent performance, power, and reliability targets. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment and enjoys digging into register‑level details while delivering firmware that customers can rely on.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, integrate, and maintain PCIe Switch firmware for servers.
• Participate in design reviews, and cross‑functional product planning meetings.
• Collaborate with external vendors to integrate PCIe switch firmware with system software and hardware.
• Develop specifications for link‑training, error handling, lane‑reconfiguration, and hot‑plug flows.
• Implement feature‑level functionality such as port-reconfiguration, host partitioning, SR‑IOV, and tuning link‑training parameters.
• Collaborate with validation and I/O teams to develop unit-test, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop test plans.
• Conduct thorough testing and debugging of firmware to ensure high-quality and reliable solutions.
• Contribute to the improvement of our firmware development processes and tools.
• Produce clear design documents, guides, and release notes.
• Stay current with PCIe specifications (PCIe 5.0/6.0, CXL, etc.), emerging standards, and industry trends.

Required Qualifications

• BS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or Computer Engineering
• 6 years' minimum experience in Embedded Firmware/Software Development
• Power user with Windows and Linux operating systems
• Experience with firmware programming and debugging
• Proficient with Git source version control system.
• Knowledgeable in Agile methodologies and tools.
• Proficient with scripting (bash and python)
• Familiarity with C for embedded environments; experience with real‑time OSes
• Proficient with building firmware from source
• Experience with translating schematics to firmware
• Experience integrating source code from external vendors
• Strong debugging skills – ability to isolate issues across silicon, firmware, and software stacks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in PCIe, CXL, or other coherent interconnect technologies.
• Deep understanding of PCIe protocol layers, link‑training, flow control, error handling, and configuration register space.
• Proficient at recognizing complex problems related to functional objectives.
• Previous experience with hardware and firmware bring‑up
• Automation CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks.
• Familiarity with debug/trace interfaces and tools (I2C‑UART, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers).
• Familiarity with Docker containers and virtualization technologies
• Prior work in a data‑center or high‑performance computing (HPC) environment.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any federal, state, or local protected class.