Principal Firmware Validation Engineer

Microsoft

Confirmed live today High trust

Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type: Hybrid
Location: —
Salary: $142,800–$274,800 / yr
Posted: 7 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live today
Closes: Apr 17, 2027

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Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $201k

This role $209k

$127k $291k

below market most similar roles pay here above market

This role pays more than 60% of similar roles. Most pay $176,687–$224,525 — the blue band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $209k versus about $201k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology leader producing software, hardware, and cloud services including Windows, Office 365, Azure cloud platform, Xbox gaming, and Surface devices. Industry: Software & Cloud Computing

Microsoft currently has 694 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $119,800–$234,700 across 651 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Firmware Validation Engineer

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The Principal Firmware Validation Engineer joins the Azure Firmware Center of Excellence within the Silicon and Cloud Hardware Infrastructure Engineering team. This role focuses on the firmware development and validation of server, silicon, and rack infrastructure for the MAIA and Cobalt product lines. The engineer will own the coordination, integration, and debugging of system software and firmware across various domains, including SoC FWs, Drivers, BIOS, and BMC. Key responsibilities include leading root cause analysis for firmware and operating system failures, developing automation pipelines for log collection, and maintaining debug knowledge bases. Required skills include experience with Python, C, or C++, as well as low-level interfaces like PCIe, I2C, and SPI. The role involves validating complex embedded systems using JTAG, Oscilloscopes, and Logic Analyzers.

Skills

Firmware C C++ Python PCIe I2C I3C SPI JTAG BIOS BMC SoC FPGA CI/CD Embedded Systems Logic Analyzer Oscilloscope Root Cause Analysis

What you'll do

Own the coordination, integration, and debugging of system software and firmware across AI server architectures.
Lead root cause analysis for firmware, operating system, and driver-level failures on pre and post-silicon platforms.
Develop and maintain automation pipelines for log collection, crash dump analysis, and compliance validation.
Triage bugs with cross-functional teams to align debug processes and inform long-term roadmap improvements.
Maintain the firmware and OS debug knowledge base and wikis for team onboarding and reference.
Track high-severity issues in daily syncs and debug forums to ensure timely resolution.
Improve test coverage and release efficiency by deploying new methods for test and release automation.

What we're looking for

Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience.
Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience.
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience.
Equivalent experience to the above degree and years of experience requirements.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including a Microsoft Cloud Background Check.
10+ years of professional experience in design, development, integration, validation, or system level debugging in embedded systems (preferred).
Experience utilizing programming in Python or C or C++ (preferred).
Experience with PCIe, I2C, I3C, SPI, and other low-level interfaces in AI server space (preferred).

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