Senior Firmware Engineer

Senior Firmware Engineer

Location: Rancho Cordova, CA, USA
Job Type: Full-time
Compensation: $150,000 $ 210,000 per year
Fixed fee/ Percentage:12%
Payment Timeline:15 days

The hiring organization is a global semiconductor company specializing in storage controller technologies and firmware solutions for NAND-based storage systems
. It operates in the enterprise and embedded storage industry
, delivering high-performance SSD controllers and firmware used in data center, enterprise, and consumer storage applications. The company focuses on PCIe/NVMe-based architectures and advanced flash management technologies that power modern storage ecosystems.

We are seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer to design, develop, and maintain NVMe protocol stack and storage firmware components
. The role focuses on high-performance SSD controller firmware development, including protocol handling, command processing, error recovery, and system-level debugging.

The engineer will also work on SMBus and I3C communication protocols
, ensuring reliable host-controller interaction and compliance with industry standards such as NVMe, PCIe Gen5, JEDEC, and MIPI specifications.

• Design and maintain NVMe protocol stack including Admin and I/O command processing
• Implement submission and completion queue management
• Ensure compliance with latest NVMe and PCIe Gen5 specifications
• Support multi-namespace and high-performance I/O operations

• Implement NVMe command parsing and data transfer mechanisms
• Develop completion flow handling for I/O operations
• Implement SMBus/I3C read/write command handling
• Support status monitoring, telemetry (temperature/voltage), and control operations

• Implement error reporting, AEN (Asynchronous Event Notification), and recovery mechanisms
• Handle timeout, abort, reset, and fault recovery scenarios
• Design retry and error detection mechanisms for SMBus/I3C communication stability

• Validate NVMe compliance using industry-standard tools and host platforms
• Ensure SMBus/I3C compliance with JEDEC and MIPI specifications
• Support interoperability across multiple host systems and controllers

• Analyze PCIe/NVMe transactions using protocol analyzers and firmware logs
• Debug SMBus/I3C communication timing and error conditions
• Support validation for stress, corner-case, hot-plug, power management, and error injection scenarios
• Perform root cause analysis and implement firmware fixes for system-level issues

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• 3+ years of experience in firmware or applications engineering
• Strong experience in SSD controller or firmware architecture
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and data structures
• Hands‑on experience with JTAG/ICE debugging tools
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git)
• Ability to work independently and in collaborative engineering teams
• Strong communication and documentation skills
• Experience with Linux-based system debugging environments

• Experience with protocol analyzers, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes
• Strong understanding of NVMe, PCIe, and SATA protocols
• Knowledge of NAND flash memory systems and architecture
• Experience in storage firmware validation and compliance testing
• Familiarity with SMBus and I3C protocols
• Mandarin language proficiency is a plus

• Competitive base salary with performance-based adjustments
• Annual merit increases and year-end bonus eligibility
• RSU eligibility for qualified employees
• 401(k) employer matching program
• Health insurance coverage for employees and dependents
• Recognition programs including invention awards and service awards