Sr. Staff Engineer, Embedded Firmware

Senior Staff Firmware Engineer – Embedded Firmware

Location:

San Jose, CA (on site required)

Ayar Labs is revolutionizing the world of interconnect technology with our cutting‑edge electro‑photonic chips. We are seeking an exceptional Senior Engineer, Firmware to lead and own the firmware development lifecycle for our groundbreaking products. In this critical role, you will drive firmware design from inception to customer deployment, ensuring seamless hardware validation and integration.

• Firmware Architecture:
  Collaborate closely with analog/mixed‑signal, digital, and photonic block designers to develop sophisticated control algorithms for our photonic circuits and establish the micro‑architecture and embedded requirements for our multi‑chip package systems.
• Drive embedded firmware development:
  Design, develop, and optimize firmware for controlling complex electronic‑photonic chips featuring multiple high‑speed Ser Des.
• Provide Technical Leadership:
  Mentor and guide junior engineers, contributing to their professional growth and development.
• Collaborate Cross‑Functionally:
  Partner effectively with diverse teams, including hardware, software, validation and systems engineers, to achieve project goals.

• Bachelor's in Electrical/Computer Engineering or a related field with 6+ years of experience.
• Proven expertise in bare‑metal embedded firmware development, with strong programming skills in
  
  C.
• Hands‑on, proactive approach with the ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, dynamic startup environment.
• Experience with various microcontrollers and firmware debugging tools.
• Proficiency with modern version control workflows (e.g., Git).
• Familiarity with project management tools (JIRA) and CI/CD tools.

• Experience in embedded firmware development for high‑speed electronics and photonics applications.
• Silicon bring‑up experience for high‑speed Ser Des and photonics applications.
• Experience with scripting with high level language like Python.
• Experience with Make‑based build flows.
• Writing firmware optimized for ARM/ RISC‑V CPUs.
• Ability to own architecture and development of firmware modules from scratch.

Salary range: $170,000 – $223,000

Ayar Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, race, color, nationality origin, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Veterans are encouraged to apply.