Staff Firmware Engineer Jobs
Staff Firmware Engineer jobs are open across consumer electronics, aerospace, medical devices, automotive, and industrial automation, from senior to principal level, with specializations in embedded systems, RTOS development, and hardware-software integration. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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INTRODUCTION
Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
ABOUT THIS ROLE
We are building System Level Test (SLT) for our next-generation high-speed optical interconnect products. This role involves bringing up and operating firmware on our test boards and the test platforms that run on top of it. SLT depends on loading the right firmware, bringing the device to a known state, and exercising it through its diagnostic interfaces. You will own that firmware layer for test, build the executive and datalog that make test flows repeatable and operator-runnable, and carry them from engineering bring-up through board-level test and transfer to manufacturing partners. This is a senior individual-contributor role on a small, growing team where you will have broad ownership and a direct hand in how our test platform is built.
Responsibilities
- Own firmware bring-up and integration on SLT boards: boot and image management across board and product variants, device initialization to a known state, diagnostic APIs, register-level read and write, mode and state control.
- Validate that each firmware release still provides the hooks test requires, and drive gaps to closure with the firmware team before they reach a test program.
- Own board-level functional test integration for assembled photonic boards: firmware load across multiple devices, calibration and device-programming content from design teams, pass/fail limits, retest policy, and dry-run controls around irreversible operations.
- Architect and build the SLT test executive: configuration-driven test sequences, instrument and device abstraction, guaranteed safe-state on abort, and a datalog with unit identity, test conditions, and results that supports comparison across time and test insertions.
- Build and operate continuous regression on bench hardware: scheduled runs, firmware and test-content change detection, and version control of test sequences and limits so a production flow is reproducible.
- Lead root cause of intermittent and order-dependent test failures, separating test-software, firmware, and hardware causes, and drive fixes with the owning teams.
- Produce operator procedures, test-plan and release documentation, and transfer packages that a technician or a manufacturing partner can execute without the author present.
- Set the software discipline for the team and mentor early-career engineers in test automation practice, code review, and documentation.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 8+ years of relevant experience
- Hands-on platform bring-up experience on embedded Linux hardware: boot sequence, boot-source and strap configuration, flash and memory initialization, bootloader and kernel, debugging with console, JTAG, and logs
- Experience validating firmware-level features across releases: image management across platform variants, upgrade and recovery, secure boot, warm restart and state preservation
- Built a test automation framework from the ground up for a hardware product and drove it to adoption as the daily regression for a team or organization
- Hardware-in-the-loop test experience with real devices under test, fixtures, and instruments, including fault injection and negative testing
- Strong Python scripting for test automation; comfortable in Linux command line, Git, and CI-integrated test execution
- Demonstrated ability to work from schematics and firmware interface specifications to derive test coverage for UART, I2C, SPI, and flash interfaces.
- Experience shipping hardware products through NPI gates (EVT, DVT, PVT) with ownership of test readiness.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 6+ years of industry experience
- Experience with serial-link or network-port validation: link state, lane configuration, link flaps across restarts, port counters.
- Experience with telemetry and log pipelines for device diagnostics.
- Experience with factory or contract-manufacturer test handoff and sustaining.
- Exposure to optical, RF, or high-speed electrical measurement and instrument control.
- Experience with eFUSE or OTP programming controls, or other irreversible test steps.
The below salary range is a range that includes Staff and Sr Staff level.
BENEFITS
- Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Savings Matching Program
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Paid Family Leave
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.
INTRODUCTION
Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
ABOUT THIS ROLE
We are building System Level Test (SLT) for our next-generation high-speed optical interconnect products. This role involves bringing up and operating firmware on our test boards and the test platforms that run on top of it. SLT depends on loading the right firmware, bringing the device to a known state, and exercising it through its diagnostic interfaces. You will own that firmware layer for test, build the executive and datalog that make test flows repeatable and operator-runnable, and carry them from engineering bring-up through board-level test and transfer to manufacturing partners. This is a senior individual-contributor role on a small, growing team where you will have broad ownership and a direct hand in how our test platform is built.
Responsibilities
- Own firmware bring-up and integration on SLT boards: boot and image management across board and product variants, device initialization to a known state, diagnostic APIs, register-level read and write, mode and state control.
- Validate that each firmware release still provides the hooks test requires, and drive gaps to closure with the firmware team before they reach a test program.
- Own board-level functional test integration for assembled photonic boards: firmware load across multiple devices, calibration and device-programming content from design teams, pass/fail limits, retest policy, and dry-run controls around irreversible operations.
- Architect and build the SLT test executive: configuration-driven test sequences, instrument and device abstraction, guaranteed safe-state on abort, and a datalog with unit identity, test conditions, and results that supports comparison across time and test insertions.
- Build and operate continuous regression on bench hardware: scheduled runs, firmware and test-content change detection, and version control of test sequences and limits so a production flow is reproducible.
- Lead root cause of intermittent and order-dependent test failures, separating test-software, firmware, and hardware causes, and drive fixes with the owning teams.
- Produce operator procedures, test-plan and release documentation, and transfer packages that a technician or a manufacturing partner can execute without the author present.
- Set the software discipline for the team and mentor early-career engineers in test automation practice, code review, and documentation.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 8+ years of relevant experience
- Hands-on platform bring-up experience on embedded Linux hardware: boot sequence, boot-source and strap configuration, flash and memory initialization, bootloader and kernel, debugging with console, JTAG, and logs
- Experience validating firmware-level features across releases: image management across platform variants, upgrade and recovery, secure boot, warm restart and state preservation
- Built a test automation framework from the ground up for a hardware product and drove it to adoption as the daily regression for a team or organization
- Hardware-in-the-loop test experience with real devices under test, fixtures, and instruments, including fault injection and negative testing
- Strong Python scripting for test automation; comfortable in Linux command line, Git, and CI-integrated test execution
- Demonstrated ability to work from schematics and firmware interface specifications to derive test coverage for UART, I2C, SPI, and flash interfaces.
- Experience shipping hardware products through NPI gates (EVT, DVT, PVT) with ownership of test readiness.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 6+ years of industry experience
- Experience with serial-link or network-port validation: link state, lane configuration, link flaps across restarts, port counters.
- Experience with telemetry and log pipelines for device diagnostics.
- Experience with factory or contract-manufacturer test handoff and sustaining.
- Exposure to optical, RF, or high-speed electrical measurement and instrument control.
- Experience with eFUSE or OTP programming controls, or other irreversible test steps.
The below salary range is a range that includes Staff and Sr Staff level.
BENEFITS
- Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Savings Matching Program
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Paid Family Leave
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid workplace model
- Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.
Staff Firmware Engineer Jobs by Experience Level
See All 46 Staff Firmware Engineer Jobs
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Find Staff Firmware Engineer JobsStaff Firmware Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware
- Technology & Software
- Manufacturing
- Telecommunications
- Artificial Intelligence
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in staff firmware engineer jobs.
- 7 or more years of embedded firmware development experience in C or C++
- Hands-on experience with RTOS platforms such as FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or VxWorks
- Proficiency with hardware debugging tools including JTAG, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers
- Experience writing and reviewing bare-metal drivers for SPI, I2C, UART, or USB interfaces
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related technical field
- Demonstrated ability to mentor junior engineers and lead cross-functional firmware design reviews
Tips for Your Staff Firmware Engineer Job Search
Tailor your resume to silicon
List the specific microcontrollers, processors, and chipsets you've programmed by exact part family, not just the vendor. Hiring managers at the staff level scan for hands-on hardware familiarity before they read anything else on your resume.
Show your debugging methodology clearly
Staff-level roles expect you to own hard problems without escalation. Describe a real example of using JTAG, logic analyzers, or oscilloscopes to isolate a production defect, and name the outcome. Generic 'debugging experience' statements won't differentiate you.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists staff firmware engineer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that name your RTOS
Filter for openings that explicitly mention the real-time operating system you know best, whether FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks, or another. RTOS depth is a staff-level differentiator, and mismatched experience adds friction you don't need.
Prepare a system-design story for interviews
Staff firmware interviews almost always include an open-ended design question on boot sequences, power management, or driver architecture. Practice explaining your design tradeoffs out loud, covering constraints, alternatives you ruled out, and what you'd do differently now.
Negotiate total compensation, not just base
At the staff level, RSU vesting schedules, sign-on bonuses, and hardware allowances often vary more than base pay across offers. Ask for the full compensation breakdown in writing before accepting anything, and compare each component separately.
Staff Firmware Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most staff firmware engineers?
The companies hiring the most staff firmware engineers right now include SK hynix memory solutions, Google, and Qualcomm, with the largest share of openings in California, Texas, and Massachusetts, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is especially concentrated in consumer electronics and aerospace hardware teams at the moment.
How many staff firmware engineer jobs are remote?
About 43% of staff firmware engineer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though fully on-site roles remain common where hardware access is required. Sub-disciplines that work most often in remote or hybrid arrangements include cloud-connected device firmware and IoT protocol development, where lab bench time is less constant.
How do you become a staff firmware engineer?
Start by building a foundation in embedded C or C++ through hands-on projects with real microcontrollers, not just simulators. Move into professional roles writing drivers and board support packages, then progressively take ownership of full subsystems. Staff-level promotion typically follows demonstrated ability to lead architectural decisions, debug novel hardware issues independently, and mentor other engineers through complex problems.
Can you get hired as a staff firmware engineer without direct staff-level experience?
Some candidates move into staff roles by demonstrating staff-level impact at a senior title, particularly if they led a firmware subsystem end to end or drove a critical product launch. Building an open-source embedded project with meaningful complexity, contributing to a well-regarded RTOS, or presenting technical work at industry events can all help close the credibility gap when your job title hasn't caught up to your actual depth.
What does the staff firmware engineer interview process look like?
Most processes include an initial technical screen covering embedded fundamentals and past project scope, followed by one or more in-depth rounds focused on system design, driver architecture, or debugging scenarios with real hardware constraints. A final round typically involves a cross-functional panel that evaluates technical judgment alongside collaboration and mentorship ability. Some companies also include a take-home coding exercise targeting low-level embedded or RTOS concepts.
Where can I find and apply to staff firmware engineer jobs?
You can find and apply to staff firmware engineer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States in one place. Search the available roles, find the listings that match your background and target industry, and apply directly to each one that fits.
See All 46 Staff Firmware Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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