Overview

Do you want to be at the forefront of innovating the latest hardware designs to propel Microsoft’s cloud growth? Are you seeking a unique career opportunity that combines technical capabilities, cross-team collaboration with business insight and strategy? Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to achieve our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day. Join the Strategic Planning and Architecture (SPARC) team within Microsoft’s Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure (AHSI) organization, the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. Microsoft delivers more than 200 online services to more than one billion individuals worldwide, and AHSI is the team behind our expanding cloud infrastructure. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's cloud businesses including Microsoft Azure, Bing, MSN, Office 365, OneDrive, Skype, Teams and Xbox Live. The SPARC organization manages Azure’s hardware roadmap from architecture concept through production for all of Microsoft’s current and future on-line services. We are looking for a Principal Firmware Engineer to join our team! Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python OR equivalent experience. 5+ years of experience designing Windows/ Linux Driver/ OS development 5+ years of experience with developing PCIe, USB, DMA, IOMMU. 5+ years of experience Linux and Windows Kernel debugging Other Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. Preferred Qualifications Experienced with ROM, Bootloader, and embedded runtime development. Experience in working in pre silicon environments. Familiar with I3C, I2C, SPI, SPI-FLASH Ability to debug and resolve issues spanning multiple subsystems. Proven and demonstrable skill in Rust Familiarity with standard Cryptography algorithmsExperienced with ROM, Bootloader, and embedded runtime development.Experience in working in pre silicon environments.Familiar with I3C, I2C, SPI, SPI-FLASHAbility to debug and resolve issues spanning multiple subsystems. Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until August 4th, 2025.

Responsibilities

Involved in all phases of product development, ensuring seamless integration from concept to deployment

Participate in silicon design, collaborating closely with hardware teams to define firmware requirements

Drive firmware architecture and design, setting foundational patterns and best practices for the development team

Support manufacturing efforts, enabling smooth bring-up and validation of hardware platforms

Lead productization, ensuring the firmware is robust, reliable, and ready for mass production

Lead driver and firmware architecture/design for accelerator chips, focusing on performance, scalability, and maintainability

Contribute to firmware development at all levels of the stack, from low-level hardware interaction to driver integration

Design and implement driver interfaces, enabling communication between hardware and higher-level software components

Develop power-on and initialization routines for silicon bring-up and early boot scenarios

Implement and optimize protocols and feature support for low-level hardware capabilities

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.Industry leading healthcareEducational resourcesDiscounts on products and servicesSavings and investmentsMaternity and paternity leaveGenerous time awayGiving programsOpportunities to network and connect