Senior Principal Engineer – Software/Firmware

Senior Principal Engineer – Software/Firmware

Location: Santa Clara, CA 95054

Work Arrangement: Onsite

Compensation: $200,000 – $260,000 annually

About the Company

Our client is a global technology leader in Semiconductor and Optical Connectivity solutions, delivering innovative products that power next-generation data centers, enterprise networking, and cloud infrastructure. Their advancements in coherent optical modules and Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) are enabling faster, more efficient, and highly scalable data transmission worldwide.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Principal Engineer – Software/Firmware to lead firmware development for advanced coherent optical module programs, including 400ZR/ZR+ and 800ZR platforms. This is a senior-level individual contributor role responsible for driving firmware architecture, development, validation, production release, and field support for mission-critical optical networking products.

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in embedded firmware development, coherent optical modules, and SoC-based platforms, along with a strong ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

Firmware Architecture & Development

• Own the complete firmware lifecycle for coherent optical modules from concept through production release.
• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for next-generation optical connectivity products.
• Lead firmware bring-up, calibration, validation, debugging, and manufacturing release activities.
• Architect and implement advanced firmware features such as:
• Hitless firmware upgrades
• Secure bootloader frameworks
• Hardware abstraction and adaptation layers
• System diagnostics and monitoring capabilities