Firmware Engineer, Principal

Qualcomm•Toronto, ON

About The Position

The Embedded Software / Firmware Team at Qualcomm develops critical embedded software that powers high-performance multi-standard Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) PHY IP used in next-generation data center, AI/ML, automotive, and compute applications. Our SerDes IPs support standards such as PCIe, Ethernet, CXL, and are integrated into SoCs and ASICs built by leading semiconductor companies around the world. The firmware team owns the full embedded software stack that controls the SerDes hardware, including low-level embedded firmware, customer-facing C SDKs, demo & automation scripts, and interactive tools. As a key enabler of silicon bring-up, validation, and production deployment, we work closely with hardware, systems, DV, validation, and application teams across the product lifecycle—from early development to high-volume manufacturing. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 8+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 7+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 6+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
4+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.
BS/MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
7+ years of experience in embedded C/C++ firmware development for hardware IP or SoCs
Technical or team leadership experience in embedded software projects from spec to production
Deep understanding of microcontroller architecture (RISC-V a plus), memory-mapped registers, ISRs, and boot flows
Strong lab debug skills, working directly on silicon with scopes, analyzers, and custom tools
Familiarity with git and modern software development methodologies
Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across functions and geographies

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of SerDes, high-speed IO standards (PCIe, Ethernet, UCIe, CXL, etc)
Experience with calibration algorithms, signal conditioning, and adaptive feedback control in hardware
Experience in silicon bring-up and post-silicon debug
Experience in pre-silicon firmware development (DV, emulation, etc)
Knowledge of RTOS or bare-metal FW architectures
Scripting in Python, Bash, etc. for lab automation and testing
Familiarity with digital design concepts (Verilog/SystemVerilog), simulation, and DV flows
Exposure to the OSI model, especially physical and data link layers
Understanding of signal processing concepts such as eye diagrams, jitter, BER, SNR, CTLE/DFE/FFE, etc.

Responsibilities

Embedded firmware running on RISC-V-based controllers that manage Alphawave’s advanced SerDes datapaths
Python and C SDKs provided to customers for SerDes bring-up, calibration, tuning, and diagnostics
Python-based lab tools and GUIs for interactive debug, register access, and validation
Build, regression, and CI infrastructure to ensure code quality and full coverage
Play a key leadership role in delivering robust, production-quality firmware for SerDes PHY IP.
Help define architecture, drive features end-to-end, coordinate across cross-functional teams, and directly influence the design and usability of Alphawave’s IP.
Technical or project lead for SerDes firmware on a major IP program, working with a team (2–8 engineers) through planning, development, validation, and customer delivery
Architecting and implementing embedded C/C++ firmware for hardware calibration, training algorithms, DSP adaptations, and link state management
Debugging complex lab and field issues in conjunction with hardware, applications, and validation teams
Driving and collaborating across functions to define FW milestones, plan sprints, close tickets, and ensure delivery of reliable and high-quality features
Translating protocol specifications (e.g. PCIe, Ethernet, CXL) or custom system-level requirements into internal firmware architecture and documentation
Supporting development and silicon bring-up across Alphawave Semi teams and other sites
Mentoring a junior engineer through a hard-to-reproduce PHY calibration bug seen in customer silicon
Developing architecture and state machines to handle multi-lane synchronization or adaptive equalization across dynamic conditions
Porting a high-level MATLAB or Python SerDes calibration algorithm to optimized fixed-point firmware
Creating a SerDes diagnostics framework accessible via both SDK and GUI
Using simulation environments and FPGA emulation to validate FW behavior before tapeout
Working with IP hardware architects to influence future revisions based on field debug learnings