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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Silicon Firmware Engineer - **Company:** Microsoft - **Location:** Hillsboro, OR, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $119,800.0 - $234,700.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Test Suite, Abstraction Layers, Data Analysis, Build Automation, Automation of Tests, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Online Services, Computer Engineering, Continuous Integration, Software Debugging, DevOps, Firmware, Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Hardware Design, Hardware Interface Design, Joint Test Action (IEEE Standards), Python (Programming Language), Object-Oriented Software Development, PCI Express, Real-Time Operating Systems, Software Engineering, Systems Integration, USB, Management of Software Versions, Scripting, Information Technology - **Published:** August 27, 2026 - **Apply:** https://diversityjobs.com/main/sendform/8/8/28176/1/18085180?backUrl=%2Fcareer%2F18085180%2FSenior-Silicon-Firmware-Engineer-Oregon-Hillsboro ## About the Role * Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 1+ year(s) technical engineering experience + OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 4+ years technical engineering experience + OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years technical engineering experience + OR equivalent experience. Other Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings: * Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. * This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be requiredto provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their US. residency or other protected status(e.g., under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export-controlled information.To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable., * BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering with 7+ years of industry experience. * Proficient understanding of computer architecture, embedded systems design, real-time operating systems (RTOS), and hardware/software co-validation methodologies. * Proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems, including object-oriented design, hardware abstraction layers, and deterministic interface contracts. * Experience with debugging tools and techniques for hardware-software integration (e.g., JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, trace tools). * Ability to communicate technical designs and trade-offs effectively across firmware, hardware, and validation teams. * Experience developing and validating firmware for standard hardware interfaces (SPI, DDR, USB, PCIe, I2C, CXL). * Experience with firmware-side bring-up of new silicon, including pre-silicon emulation and post-silicon debug. * Ability to comprehend the full software stack from high-level code through RTOS scheduling to representative assembler instruction streams at runtime. * Experience defining and enforcing hardware/firmware interface contracts and compliance test suites. * Proficiency in Python for test automation, data analysis, and scripting of validation workflows. * Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices applied to embedded/firmware build and test environments, including Azure DevOps (repos, pipelines, boards, and test plans). * Familiarity with formal or structured verification methodologies (e.g., model checking, property-based testing, coverage-driven validation). * Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical workstreams across firmware and validation disciplines. #SCHIE #CSME ## Description The silicon computing development team is seeking passionate, driven and intellectually curious engineers to join our silicon firmware team covering firmware architecture, development, integration, and quality assurance, for our projects. This team member will be involved in numerous projects within Microsoft developing firmware for custom silicon on a diverse set of systems. We are responsible for delivering cutting-edge, custom SoC designs that can perform complex and high-performance functions in the most efficient manner. In this high impact role on the team, you will be responsible to: * Develop, document, review, and maintain low-level silicon firmware in partnership with hardware design, validation, and software teams. * Analyze hardware specifications to architect and implement silicon firmware for IP blocks, including bring-up sequences, power management, security flows, and peripheral initialization. * Execute firmware development across the full silicon lifecycle - from RTL simulation and FPGA prototyping through emulation, silicon bring-up, and production. * Participate in hardware/firmware co-design to define register interfaces, firmware-visible behaviors, and optimal hardware/firmware partitioning during the design phase. * Cross multiple firmware disciplines and domains - boot, security, power, telemetry, debug - adapting to evolving needs throughout the development cycle. * Perform firmware integration, packaging, and releases to partners and stakeholders with clear versioning and dependency tracking. * Build automation and tooling to accelerate development and enable validation partners with maximum code and collateral reuse. * Participate in and champion Agile practices emphasizing quality, team accountability, continuous integration, and iterative improvement. * Coordinate priorities and activities with cross-functional engineering stakeholders to deliver committed milestones. * Collaborate with IP providers to integrate third-party components, resolve specification ambiguities, and align firmware with hardware deliverables. * Deliver high-quality, well-tested silicon firmware on schedule with professional integrity - challenge the status quo with a growth mindset. ## Related Videos - [Prototyping with Hardware and the Web](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/651-prototyping-with-hardware-and-the-web) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [Playing Pong on a shoulder press machine](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100140-playing-pong-on-a-shoulder-press-machine) - [More efficient software for more efficient microchips](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1164-more-efficient-software-for-more-efficient-microchips) - [Project Fugu: Extending the web](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/832-project-fugu-extending-the-web) - [Strange New Worlds: shaping the future of the digital age](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/677-strange-new-worlds-shaping-the-future-of-the-digital-age) ## Related Articles - [Is Software Engineering Hard?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/448-is-software-engineering-hard) - [What is Software Engineering?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/289-what-is-software-engineering) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [Where to Find Entry-Level Software Engineering Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/397-where-to-find-entry-level-software-engineering-jobs) - [The 12 Best Jobs for Software Engineers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/401-the-12-best-jobs-for-software-engineers) - [Software Engineer Career: Things You Should Know](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/143-software-engineer-career-things-you-should-know)