Embedded Firmware Engineer, Image Signal Processor (ISP)

Apple Inc

Confirmed live yesterday High trust

Quick summary

Work type
On-site
Location
San Diego, CA
Salary
$142,300–$263,300 / yr
Posted
148 days ago
Freshness
Confirmed live yesterday

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $183k
This role $203k
$128k most similar roles pay here $278k

This role pays more than 69% of similar roles. Most pay $151,249–$215,687 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $203k versus about $183k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Apple Inc

Apple Inc. is a multinational technology company known for designing and manufacturing consumer electronics, software, and online services, including the iPhone, Mac, iPad, and App Store. Industry: Consumer Electronics & Software

Apple Inc currently has 1984 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $175,000–$277,600 across 1590 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Apple Inc

At a glance

TL;DR · Embedded Firmware Engineer, Image Signal Processor (ISP)

The Embedded Firmware Engineer - Image Signal Processor (ISP) joins the ISP team to develop pioneering camera technologies and core image signal processing pipelines for Apple products. This role involves developing low-level firmware for sophisticated pipelines running on custom system-on-chip designs, performing hardware validation, and managing feature bring-up across both pre-silicon emulators and silicon during initial production. The engineer will address critical performance challenges such as power consumption, memory utilization, latency, and timing jitter while collaborating with silicon design and machine learning teams to debug hardware-firmware interactions. Candidates must possess proficiency in C and C++, experience with multi-threaded software in embedded RTOS environments, and knowledge of register-level programming. The work focuses on the full product lifecycle, specifically solving technical challenges within camera pipelines, video processing systems, and complex hardware-software integration.

What you'll do

  • Develop low-level ISP firmware for image processing pipelines on custom system-on-chip designs.
  • Execute hardware validation and feature bring-up on emulators during pre-silicon development.
  • Integrate camera software stacks onto silicon during initial product bring-up.
  • Resolve system performance issues regarding power consumption, memory utilization, latency, and timing jitter.
  • Debug hardware-firmware interactions in coordination with silicon design teams.
  • Contribute to architectural decisions that shape future camera capabilities.
  • Perform firmware performance tuning and memory optimization for embedded systems.

What we're looking for

  • BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
  • 3+ years of experience developing multi-threaded software within embedded RTOS environments.
  • Strong proficiency in C and C++.
  • 5+ years of embedded firmware development experience.
  • Experience with camera pipelines, image signal processors, or video processing systems.
  • Track record of bringing up firmware on new silicon or hardware platforms.
  • Familiarity with pre-silicon development environments including emulators and FPGA prototypes.
  • Experience with firmware performance tuning, memory optimization, and power management.

More like this

Similar roles

Embedded ISP Engineer

Apple Inc

San Diego, CA 135 days ago $142,300$263,300
C C++ Embedded Systems RTOS ARM SoC ISP Machine Learning Firmware Device Drivers Image Processing Video Signal Processing Hardware Validation Power Management Units
3+ yrs exp

SoC Firmware Engineer

Apple Inc

Cupertino, CA 154 days ago $129,300$194,700
C Assembly ARM FPGA Git Subversion Perforce Bash Python Perl Verilog System Verilog Firmware Simulation Emulation MCUs Root Cause Analysis

SoC Firmware Engineer

Apple Inc

Cupertino, CA 154 days ago $150,400$277,600
C Assembly ARM FPGA Git Subversion Perforce Bash Python Perl Verilog System Verilog Firmware Simulation Emulation
3+ yrs exp

SoC Firmware Engineer

Apple Inc

Cupertino, CA 154 days ago $184,700$324,800
C Assembly ARM FPGA Git Subversion Perforce Bash Python Perl Verilog System Verilog Firmware Simulation Emulation
10+ yrs exp

Firmware Engineer

Broadcom

Fort Collins, CO +1 18 days ago $121,900$195,000
C C++ Firmware Embedded Systems SerDes HBM RTL Silicon Bring-up Middleware Diagnostic Software Digital Communication Systems
8+ yrs exp

Camera Embedded Software Engineer

Apple Inc

Sunnyvale, CA 55 days ago $184,700$324,800
C C++ Embedded Systems RTOS Firmware Device Drivers SoC Image Signal Processing Video Processing Memory Management Performance Tuning
10+ yrs exp