Platform Firmware Engineer

Apple • Sunnyvale, CA

9d

About The Position

The Core Technology Platform Firmware team builds the foundation that every
product depends on - the first code that runs, the security model that protects
it, and the boot architecture that brings it to life. You will work at the
intersection of silicon and software, solving problems that don't have
documented answers yet and shaping the firmware that defines how our products
start, secure themselves, and perform. This is work where your decisions are
etched into silicon and your craftsmanship ships to millions. You will
contribute to boot architectures, security models, and hardware/software
interfaces for new products, then bring them to life in the lab on first silicon
and prototype hardware. You are the technical anchor for the platform's firmware
deliverables - driving the system from first power-on through production
hardening and into mass manufacturing. You will partner closely with hardware,
silicon vendors, and security teams throughout the product lifecycle. We are
looking for a resilient, self-driven engineer to own platform firmware
deliverables from initial concept through mass production. You will work
interchangeably with Apple Silicon and third-party vendor silicon depending on
project requirements. This is a team that holds a high bar and has each other's
backs - we anticipate risks before they become crises, we own the outcomes of
our decisions, and we make each other better through honest, constructive
feedback. When things go wrong, we learn from it and share what we learned to
take the group forward.

DESCRIPTION

Genuine passion for innovation and product development with experience from
inception through delivery to customers. The Firmware Engineer will be
individually responsible for all things firmware related. Architect, design,
develop, and maintain hardware/software systems for Apple products. The
individual will also be responsible for shaping firmware features from
definition to launch with cross-functional teams in a highly dynamic
environment.

Requirements

• BS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent professional experience 7+ years of experience in low-level firmware, ROM development, or silicon-level bring-up
• Proficiency in C and Assembly for resource-constrained environments (limited SRAM, no heap, no standard library)
• Hands-on experience with ARM architectures (ARMv7/ARMv8, A/R/M profiles) at the register level, including exception models, MMU/MPU configuration, and cache coherency
• Experience with early boot and Secure Boot implementation - reset vector handlers, clock and memory controller initialization, chain of trust establishment
• Experience bringing up new board designs - validating power sequencing, clock trees, and peripheral connectivity on prototype hardware
• Proficiency with hardware debugging tools including JTAG, SWD, logic analyzers, and protocol decoders
• Shipped at least one product through a complete development lifecycle from silicon bring-up through mass production

Nice To Haves

• MS in Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering
• Experience shipping multiple products through complete development lifecycles (EVT, DVT, PVT, and into mass production), with an understanding of how priorities, risks, and tradeoffs shift at each phase.
• Direct experience developing and shipping ROM code in a production environment.
• Familiarity with power state transitions and low-power firmware design.
• Experience working directly with silicon teams on errata investigation and workaround development.
• Track record of proactively identifying and mitigating technical risks ahead of schedule.
• Experience reconciling cross-repo dependencies and maintaining firmware deliverables composed of components from multiple teams and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, develop, and maintain hardware/software systems for Apple products.
• Shaping firmware features from definition to launch with cross-functional teams

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees