Senior Compute HW Engineer

Illumina, Inc
San Diego, United States of America
11 days ago

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Working hours
Regular working hours
Languages
English
Experience level
Senior
Compensation
$ 194K

Job location

San Diego, United States of America

Tech stack

Board Bringup
Adobe InDesign
BIOS
Booting (BIOS)
Computer Engineering
Software Debugging
Linux
Device Drivers
Microprocessors
Ethernet
Firmware
Networking Hardware
Linux kernel
Routing
PCI Express
Signal Integrity
Software Engineering
Tcpdump
Extensible Firmware Interface
Perf (Linux)
Information Technology
U-Boot

Job description

  • Define hardware requirements and specifications for assigned subsystems based on workload, power, and environmental constraints
  • Evaluate and validate compute technologies, components (CPUs, SoMs, memory, PHYs, switches, storage), and vendor solutions
  • Implement networking subsystems for edge use cases, including wired Ethernet (1/2.5/10G)
  • Debug hardware and hardware/software issues across the Linux kernel, drivers, device tree, firmware, and bootloaders (U-Boot, UEFI); perform root cause analysis
  • Lead board bring-up and contribute to DVT plans covering signal integrity, thermal, power, EMI/EMC, and environmental testing
  • Design for remote deployment: secure boot, OTA updates, remote diagnostics, and long product lifecycles
  • Collaborate with electrical, firmware, and Linux systems teams; maintain design documentation and participate in design reviews

Requirements

  • Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 3 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD without experience; or equivalent work experience.
  • Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science highly preferred
  • 5+ years designing embedded/edge compute platforms, including x86 CPUs, DDR/LPDDR memory, and PCIe
  • Experience with edge networking hardware (Ethernet PHYs/switches, 10GbE) and networking/routing fundamentals
  • Strong Linux skills: device drivers, device tree, networking stack, and debug tools (perf, ftrace, ethtool, tcpdump, dmesg, sysfs/procfs)
  • Familiarity with bootloaders and firmware (BIOS, U-Boot, UEFI, secure boot, TPM/TEE)
  • Solid grounding in PCB/PCA design, high-speed signal integrity, power delivery, and thermal design
  • Proven contributions to board bring-up, DVT, and V&V documentation
  • Strong root cause analysis across hardware, firmware, and Linux stacks
  • Strong communication skills and a collaborative, ownership-driven mindset

Benefits & conditions

The estimated base salary range for the Senior Compute HW Engineer role based in the United States of America is: $129,400 - $194,000. Should the level or location of the role change during the hiring process, the applicable base pay range may be updated accordingly. The range reflects long-term growth in the role. Most candidates are hired between the minimum and middle of the range. Placement depends on experience, skills, location, and internal equity. Additionally, all employees are eligible for one of our variable cash programs (bonus or commission) and eligible roles may receive equity as part of the compensation package. We offer a wide range of benefits as innovative as our work, including access to genomics sequencing, family planning, health/dental/vision, retirement benefits, and paid time off.

About the company

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients. Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible. We're seeking a Senior Compute Hardware Engineer to help design next-generation DNA sequencers. You'll own subsystem-level hardware design across compute, memory, I/O, and networking for edge-deployed systems with real-world power, thermal, size, and connectivity constraints. Working with senior engineers and partnering closely with firmware and Software teams, you'll drive subsystem ownership and contribute to platform-level decisions through hands-on technical work.

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