Firmware Jobs in Santa Clara, CA
Firmware jobs in Santa Clara are concentrated in the Central Expressway corridor, the Lawrence Expressway tech cluster, and the Great America Parkway area, with deep demand across semiconductor, consumer electronics, and wireless hardware sectors. Companies actively hiring right now include NVIDIA, AMD, and Marvell Technology. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Showing 5 of 38+ Firmware jobs
Whether you’re designing next-gen processors, enabling AI breakthroughs, or bringing leading edge products to market, every role at AMD contributes to something bigger — technology that moves the world forward. Join us and, together, we’ll advance your career.
THE ROLE:
AMD is looking for a Principal Member of Technical Staff (PMTS) to lead system and solution testing for our growing firmware team. As a key contributor, you will be part of a leading team that drives and enhances AMD's ability to deliver the highest-quality, industry-leading technologies to market.
THE PERSON:
The ideal candidate has an innovative, problem-solving mindset and a keen eye for software engineering, and is diligent and passionate about technology. A successful candidate will bring strong knowledge of computer technologies, technical leadership skills and software engineering expertise, as well as a strong ability to compete effectively in a fast-paced environment while working with different teams of engineers and collaborators. As a technical leader, you will set the quality bar for the team, influence development teams and partners, and mentor the engineers around you.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Define the system validation strategy, test architecture and release quality gates for firmware across AMD products.
- Validate new firmware and software features for AMD products at a system level before they are released to customers.
- Architect scalable automation frameworks and lab infrastructure for multi-node, cluster-scale testing.
- Leverage AI tools to accelerate the software validation cycle.
- Contribute actively to the day-to-day activities of the system test team in an Agile environment.
- Write test plans, review them with all stakeholders to cover the scenarios comprehensively, and execute them efficiently.
- Build maintainable, high-quality and effective automated test scripts.
- Review and triage test failures, and verify fixes.
- Help address customer-reported issues by reproducing them locally and working with peer teams for faster resolution.
- Stay informed of software and hardware trends and innovations, especially in firmware, CPUs, GPUs and accelerators.
- Debug complex technical issues and collaborate with peer teams.
- Develop technical relationships with peers and partners.
- Report quality status, risks and release readiness to program leadership.
- Mentor senior and junior engineers, and set the team's test engineering standards.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
- Seasoned years of experience in system testing, validation or test automation, including years as a test architect or technical lead.
- Strong experience in firmware test and automation roles.
- Solid understanding of AI tools and how to leverage them in a large-scale distributed environment.
- Proficiency in writing automation scripts in Python, and experience with test and performance-testing tools.
- Solid understanding of automation frameworks, and fluency in Python.
- Prior experience with cloud, security and data center technologies is an added advantage.
- Strong troubleshooting skills.
- Knowledge of operating systems, kernel-mode programming, device drivers, and related technologies and architectures.
- Good interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to write high-quality automation code with keen attention to detail.
- Good understanding of the Linux operating system and hypervisors (VMware ESX, KVM).
- Experience with software development processes and tools such as debuggers, source code control systems (GitHub) and profilers is a plus.
- Track record of defining test strategy and release quality gates, and of building automation frameworks used across teams.
- Experience leading customer escalations and influencing development teams and leadership.
- Experience testing firmware on CPU, GPU or SoC platforms at scale, including AI workloads on multi-node clusters, is a strong plus.
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.
#LI-CT1
AMD does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants’ needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.
AMD may use Artificial Intelligence to help screen, assess or select applicants for this position. AMD’s “Responsible AI Policy” is available here.
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
Whether you’re designing next-gen processors, enabling AI breakthroughs, or bringing leading edge products to market, every role at AMD contributes to something bigger — technology that moves the world forward. Join us and, together, we’ll advance your career.
THE ROLE:
AMD is looking for a Principal Member of Technical Staff (PMTS) to lead system and solution testing for our growing firmware team. As a key contributor, you will be part of a leading team that drives and enhances AMD's ability to deliver the highest-quality, industry-leading technologies to market.
THE PERSON:
The ideal candidate has an innovative, problem-solving mindset and a keen eye for software engineering, and is diligent and passionate about technology. A successful candidate will bring strong knowledge of computer technologies, technical leadership skills and software engineering expertise, as well as a strong ability to compete effectively in a fast-paced environment while working with different teams of engineers and collaborators. As a technical leader, you will set the quality bar for the team, influence development teams and partners, and mentor the engineers around you.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Define the system validation strategy, test architecture and release quality gates for firmware across AMD products.
- Validate new firmware and software features for AMD products at a system level before they are released to customers.
- Architect scalable automation frameworks and lab infrastructure for multi-node, cluster-scale testing.
- Leverage AI tools to accelerate the software validation cycle.
- Contribute actively to the day-to-day activities of the system test team in an Agile environment.
- Write test plans, review them with all stakeholders to cover the scenarios comprehensively, and execute them efficiently.
- Build maintainable, high-quality and effective automated test scripts.
- Review and triage test failures, and verify fixes.
- Help address customer-reported issues by reproducing them locally and working with peer teams for faster resolution.
- Stay informed of software and hardware trends and innovations, especially in firmware, CPUs, GPUs and accelerators.
- Debug complex technical issues and collaborate with peer teams.
- Develop technical relationships with peers and partners.
- Report quality status, risks and release readiness to program leadership.
- Mentor senior and junior engineers, and set the team's test engineering standards.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
- Seasoned years of experience in system testing, validation or test automation, including years as a test architect or technical lead.
- Strong experience in firmware test and automation roles.
- Solid understanding of AI tools and how to leverage them in a large-scale distributed environment.
- Proficiency in writing automation scripts in Python, and experience with test and performance-testing tools.
- Solid understanding of automation frameworks, and fluency in Python.
- Prior experience with cloud, security and data center technologies is an added advantage.
- Strong troubleshooting skills.
- Knowledge of operating systems, kernel-mode programming, device drivers, and related technologies and architectures.
- Good interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to write high-quality automation code with keen attention to detail.
- Good understanding of the Linux operating system and hypervisors (VMware ESX, KVM).
- Experience with software development processes and tools such as debuggers, source code control systems (GitHub) and profilers is a plus.
- Track record of defining test strategy and release quality gates, and of building automation frameworks used across teams.
- Experience leading customer escalations and influencing development teams and leadership.
- Experience testing firmware on CPU, GPU or SoC platforms at scale, including AI workloads on multi-node clusters, is a strong plus.
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.
#LI-CT1
AMD does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants’ needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.
AMD may use Artificial Intelligence to help screen, assess or select applicants for this position. AMD’s “Responsible AI Policy” is available here.
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
See All 38 Firmware Jobs in Santa Clara
Find roles in Santa Clara that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Firmware JobsFirmware Job Market in Santa Clara
Who's Hiring
- NVIDIA13
- AMD9
- Marvell Technology5
- Ampere Computing3
- Qualcomm2
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Electronics & Hardware
- Telecommunications
- Artificial Intelligence
Firmware Jobs in Santa Clara: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a firmware job in Santa Clara?
Target the semiconductor fabs, wireless chip companies, and IoT hardware firms clustered along the Central Expressway and Great America Parkway corridors, since those employers generate the most firmware openings in Santa Clara. A strong portfolio of embedded C or C++ projects, hands-on RTOS experience, and familiarity with ARM or RISC-V architectures gives candidates a clear edge over the competition in this market.
Which companies hire firmwares in Santa Clara?
Employers hiring firmwares in Santa Clara right now include NVIDIA, AMD, and Marvell Technology, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Santa Clara's employer mix skews heavily toward semiconductor IP companies, consumer electronics OEMs, and wireless networking hardware firms with dedicated embedded engineering teams.
Are there remote firmware jobs in Santa Clara?
Yes, though remote availability is limited compared to purely software roles because firmware work often requires direct hardware access and lab testing. About 70% of firmware openings tied to Santa Clara are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with remote arrangements most common for validation, documentation, and driver development tasks that don't require physical chip bring-up.
How can I get a firmware job in Santa Clara with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Santa Clara is targeting firmware QA, embedded test engineer, or hardware validation roles at mid-size semiconductor and networking companies, which regularly hire candidates with strong fundamentals over deep experience. Building a GitHub portfolio with bare-metal microcontroller projects and contributing to open-source RTOS communities signals real hands-on ability to Santa Clara hiring managers who evaluate technical depth quickly.
Which industries hire the most firmwares in Santa Clara?
Santa Clara firmware roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Electronics & Hardware, and Telecommunications, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Santa Clara's position as a global semiconductor hub means those sectors maintain large, continuous firmware hiring pipelines tied directly to chip development and product release cycles.
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See All 38 Firmware Jobs in Santa Clara
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