Principal Firmware Engineer

Principal Engineer , Firmware Engineering

Company Description

Sandisk understands how people and businesses consume data and we relentlessly innovate to deliver solutions that enable today’s needs and tomorrow’s next big ideas. With a rich history of groundbreaking innovations in Flash and advanced memory technologies, our solutions have become the beating heart of the digital world we’re living in and that we have the power to shape.

Sandisk meets people and businesses at the intersection of their aspirations and the moment, enabling them to keep moving and pushing possibility forward. We do this through the balance of our powerhouse manufacturing capabilities and our industry-leading portfolio of products that are recognized globally for innovation, performance and quality.

Sandisk has two facilities recognized by the World Economic Forum as part of the Global Lighthouse Network for advanced 4IR innovations. These facilities were also recognized as Sustainability Lighthouses for breakthroughs in efficient operations. With our global reach, we ensure the global supply chain has access to the Flash memory it needs to keep our world moving forward.

Job Description

As a Principal Engineer, you will be part of the Firmware Verification Team that design and develop white box and grey box tests in Python to verify firmware designs of Storage systems for AI workloads. You will be working closely with product architects and firmware engineers to create a comprehensive firmware verification test. In this role, you will be technically leading a high energy team, contributing to test strategy, test development, integrating the tests using various development platforms and perform failure analysis. This role demands strong hands-on experience with understanding of NAND architecture design, data path validation, handling of NAND level errors, and firmware/hardware debugging across multiple platforms (pre-silicon, emulation, silicon bring-up)

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with firmware engineers & architects on product architecture and designs to define the comprehensive verification plan to deliver a high quality product to customers on time
• Design, Develop and Integrate the white box and gray box tests on SSD products in roadmap inline with latest methodologies
• Conduct test plan reviews and code reviews to ensure the tests are scalable and meeting the requirements
• Participate in driving failure analysis and collaborate with integration/execution engineers for test deployment.
• Work with memory (NAND ) systems team, to understand the implementation of algorithms handling IO paths, behavior of NAND when single bit or double bit level error occurs, correction mechanisms, etc
• Work with firmware engineers, understand the logs/events to triage and debug test failures
• Use SanDisk proprietary tools and open-source test frameworks to run, monitor, and triage test suites

Qualifications

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• BE/B.Tech/ME/M.Tech degree in in Electronics & Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related field
• Strong understanding of NAND Flash architecture, NAND interface protocols, and error management.
• Proficiency in scripting and automation using Python, C/C++, or Bash
• Comprehensive understanding of embedded software fundamentals and Storage fundamentals with Knowledge on NVMe/PCIe specification
• Experience in verifying the memory with NAND Emulated model
• Experience with embedded systems, firmware-hardware debugging, and low-level protocol analysis.
• Minimum 8+ years of experience in firmware development or validation in storage, semiconductor, or non-volatile memory development and technically leading a team of 3-5 members
• Strong architectural review skills with the ability to provide guidance and review test development efforts and test coverage.
• Test development using AI tools and hands on experience on GPU/NPU verification is an added advantage
• SystemC modelling experience
• Knowledge on Git, CI & source code management flow and agile development practices.

Soft Skills:

• Strong problem-solving skills focusing on status quo
• Collaborative and proactive communication style
• Attention to detail and quality assurance mindset
• Ability to work effectively in a global, cross-functional team in high paced environment

Additional Information

Sandisk thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Sandisk is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at jobs.accommodations@sandisk.com to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Experience Level

Senior Level