Staff Embedded Firmware & System Software Engineer - Platform Controller and SoC Stack

Lumilens

$180K — $216K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8-10 years in embedded firmware/system software development in C, with knowledge of modern C++ or Rust.
  • Hands-on RTOS experience on 32-bit microcontrollers (Arm Cortex-M or RISC-V).
  • Proven driver development experience, including bus drivers and interrupt-driven peripherals.
  • Strong understanding of system software fundamentals like virtual memory, address translation, and kernel boundaries.
  • Working knowledge of PCIe architecture for debugging device connectivity issues.
  • Understanding of IOMMU functionality and its implications on DMA configurations and failures.
  • Ability to translate hardware specifications into testable software independently.
  • Applied knowledge of AI/ML coding.

Responsibilities

  • Design and maintain Zephyr RTOS firmware for platform management controllers.
  • Write and review drivers according to Zephyr's driver model standards.
  • Debug PCIe links on first silicon, resolving training and negotiation issues.
  • Implement and maintain PCIe host controller and endpoint drivers.
  • Configure and validate IOMMU behavior for address translation and device isolation.
  • Develop system software across boot and runtime paths, managing firmware-to-OS handoffs.
  • Perform post-silicon bring-up and first-boot debug, collaborating with design teams.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on next-generation silicon technology.
  • Potential for equity in the form of stock options.
  • Engage in cutting-edge embedded systems and firmware development.
  • Collaborative environment with design teams to solve complex challenges.
  • Access to a supportive work culture focused on innovation.
Full Job Description
About the role

We are building the software stack that runs on next-generation silicon. Based on Zephyr-platform management controller responsible for secure boot, system software on the application processor - bootloader, kernel drivers, PCIe subsystem, and IOMMU configuration - that turns raw silicon into a platform an operating system can run on.

What you'll do

Firmware and platform control

  • Design, implement, and maintain Zephyr RTOS firmware for a platform management controllers, including device drivers, subsystem integration, and application-level services.
  • Write and upstream-quality-review drivers against Zephyr's driver model - devicetree bindings, Kconfig, init levels and priorities, struct device APIs.

System software and high-speed interconnect

  • Bring up and debug PCIe links on first silicon - LTSSM progression, link training failures, lane reversal and polarity, equalization, speed and width negotiation.
  • Implement and maintain PCIe host controller and endpoint drivers: enumeration, configuration space, BAR allocation, MSI/MSI-X interrupt routing, AER and error handling, ASPM and link power states.
  • Configure and validate IOMMU behavior - address translation, DMA remapping, device isolation domains, page-table management, fault reporting and recovery.
  • Develop system software across the boot and runtime path: bootloader, firmware-to-OS handoff, ACPI or device tree description, kernel drivers, and the DMA and memory-management interfaces they depend on.
  • Debug DMA correctness and coherency problems end to end, from device transaction through translation to system memory.

Silicon and process

  • Perform post-silicon bring-up: first-boot debug, clock and reset validation, bus enumeration, triage of RTL-versus-firmware ambiguity with design teams.
  • Debug hard problems using JTAG/SWD, ETM/ITM trace, protocol analyzers, and logic analyzers - including intermittent, timing-dependent, and multi-master failures.

Required qualifications

  • 8-10 years of professional embedded firmware and/or system software development in C, with meaningful exposure to modern C++ or Rust.
  • Deep, hands-on RTOS experience on 32-bit microcontrollers (Arm Cortex-M or RISCV) scheduling, priority assignment, ISR design, synchronization primitives, and the failure modes each one produces.
  • Proven driver development experience against a formal driver model, including bus drivers and interrupt-driven peripherals.
  • System software fundamentals: virtual memory and address translation, DMA and cache coherency, the kernel/users pace boundary, and how a platform gets from reset vector to a running OS.
  • Working knowledge of PCIe architecture - enumeration, configuration space, BARs, MSI/MSI-X, and the transaction model - sufficient to debug why a device is not appearing or not moving data.
  • Understanding of what an IOMMU is for and what it costs: translation, isolation, and the DMA failure modes that appear when it is misconfigured.
  • Demonstrated ability to read a hardware specification or register map and translate it into correct, testable software without handholding.
  • Applied AI/ML knowledge - Strong AI based coding.
  • BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred qualifications

Strong candidates will have direct experience with several or some of the following.

  • PCIe and interconnect
  • IOMMU and virtualization
  • System software
  • RTOS and platform
  • Peripherals and subsystems

Compensation

The compensation range shown below represents total target cash compensation and includes both base salary and target bonus. Actual compensation will vary based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, job level, and work location.

In addition to cash compensation, this position is eligible for equity in the form of stock options, giving you the opportunity to share in the Company's long-term growth and success.

The pay range for this role is:

180,000 - 216,000 USD per year (US)

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