Phizenix

SeniorPrincipalFirmwareEngineer

$200–250k Livermore, California, United States
Market Sentiment
HIGH DEMAND

Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Senior candidates.

The Brief

“Senior Principal Firmware Engineer at Phizenix. Skills: Firmware Engineering, Optical Modules, Embedded Systems. Own firmware development for coherent optical module programs. Lead program-level firmware efforts”

What You'll Achieve.

Deliver firmware solutions meeting requirements

Industry & Context.

Problems you'll solve

Debugging; Troubleshooting

What They're Looking For.

Must Have

15+ years embedded software/firmware architecture, Deep expertise coherent optical module firmware, OIF-400ZR, C-CMIS, CMIS 4.x/5.x, Bootloader design, Firmware upgrade mechanisms, Flash management, SoC-based embedded platforms, MCU/DSP-based architectures, Proficiency C/C++ firmware development, Python-based test/automation scripting, Own and deliver programs end-to-end, Alpha bring-up through GA release, Production support debugging skills, Hardware/firmware debugging skills, Lab bench bring-up, ATE integration, Field issue resolution, Jira, GitLab, CI/CD release flows, Excellent communication

Nice to Have

Prior experience optical module company, Prior experience optical semiconductor company, Marvell optical or coherent DSP platforms, Calibration and control algorithms optical components

What You'll Do.

Own firmware development for coherent optical module programs

Lead program-level firmware efforts

Design and implement advanced firmware features

Drive cross-functional collaboration

Resolve complex system-level issues

Support customer engagements

Respond to technical inquiries

Deliver firmware solutions

Contribute to firmware architecture decisions

Mentor and guide other engineers

Serve as technical resource

Serve as subject matter expert

How You'll Work.

Team & Collaboration

Firmware, hardware, DSP teams; Customer-facing teams; Cross-functional teams; Hardware engineers; DSP teams

Communication Scope

Technical inquiries; Customer communication

Process & Methodology

Program ownership, End-to-end program delivery

Full Job Description

What You Can Expect We are looking for a Senior Principal Firmware Engineer to join Client's Optical Connectivity firmware team in Santa Clara. This is a highly technical individual contributor role with broad program ownership across one or more coherent optical module programs. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in embedded firmware for optical transceivers, a track record of leading complex multi-generation programs, and the ability to work effectively across firmware, hardware, DSP, and customer-facing teams. What You'll Do Own firmware development for coherent optical module programs (e.g., 400ZR/ZR+, 800ZR), from architecture through production release Lead program-level firmware efforts, including bring-up, calibration, validation, and customer delivery milestones Design and implement advanced firmware features such as hitless firmware upgrade, CMIS compliance, bootloader architecture, calibration and control engines, and hardware adaptation layers Drive cross-functional collaboration with DSP, hardware, ATE, and test engineering teams to resolve complex system-level issues Support customer engagements — respond to technical inquiries, debug field issues, and deliver firmware solutions that meet hyperscaler and carrier requirements Contribute to firmware architecture decisions across the broader optics firmware platform, including shared infrastructure, tooling, and release processes Mentor and guide other engineers on the team; serve as a technical resource and subject matter expert What We're Looking For Senior Principal Engineer, Software/Firmware - coherent optical module firmware/SoC-based embedded platforms/CPORequired15+ years of experience in embedded software/firmware architecture, design, and implementation Deep expertise in coherent optical module firmware (400ZR, 800ZR, or equivalent) and associated standards (OIF-400ZR, C-CMIS, CMIS 4.x/5.x) Strong background in bootloader design, firmware upgrade mechanisms (including hitless/in-service u

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