Principal Engineer, SSD Validation

Micron Technology • San Jose, CA

1d • $154,000 - $303,000

About The Position

As a Principal Engineer within the Validation Strategy & Test Architecture organization, you will define and drive the future of validation strategy, coverage architecture, and next-generation validation solutions for Micron's Data Center SSD portfolio. This role focuses on identifying validation gaps, developing scalable coverage methodologies, evaluating emerging technologies, and improving validation effectiveness through strategic, data-driven approaches. You will work closely with architecture, firmware, system, product, and validation teams to translate customer requirements, product architectures, field learnings, and technology roadmaps into actionable validation strategies and reusable coverage solutions. The role will also help drive adoption of AI-assisted engineering capabilities, leveraging Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Agentic AI, and advanced analytics to improve coverage analysis, requirements understanding, engineering productivity, and validation decision-making.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of experience in Data Center SSD, storage systems, firmware, validation, systems engineering, or related technical disciplines.
• Strong understanding of Data Center SSD architecture, NAND technologies, storage protocols, firmware algorithms, and enterprise storage systems.
• Proven experience developing validation strategies, qualification methodologies, coverage assessments, or architecture-level validation solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex technical requirements and translate them into effective validation approaches.
• Experience leveraging data analytics, automation, AI-assisted tools, or machine learning techniques to solve engineering challenges.
• Strong technical communication, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Proven ability to drive technical initiatives across multiple engineering organizations.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience with hyperscale, cloud, and enterprise Data Center SSD deployments.
• Knowledge of NVMe, FDP, Dual Port, QLC, OCP SSD, virtualization, storage performance, reliability, and data center storage ecosystems.
• Experience with coverage modeling, risk assessment, workload characterization, and validation architecture.
• Familiarity with requirements management, traceability, and coverage management methodologies.
• Experience applying data analytics, AI/ML, automation, or software engineering techniques to engineering workflows.
• Experience with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Agentic AI, AI-assisted engineering tools, or advanced analytics.
• Demonstrated success influencing technical strategy at an organizational level.

Responsibilities

• Define validation strategies and coverage architectures for next-generation Data Center SSD technologies and customer deployments.
• Develop scalable validation methodologies that improve coverage quality, execution efficiency, and risk assessment across multiple programs.
• Analyze customer requirements, product specifications, and architecture designs to derive validation requirements and coverage objectives.
• Lead coverage assessments and identify validation gaps across features, workloads, and system-level interactions.
• Develop customer use-case-driven validation models and workload characterization strategies.
• Drive next-generation validation initiatives through technology evaluation, innovation, and proof-of-concept development.
• Apply AI-assisted techniques, Generative AI, and LLMs to improve requirements analysis, coverage assessment, technical knowledge discovery, and validation planning.
• Leverage data analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence to improve coverage analysis, failure investigation, and validation planning.
• Collaborate across engineering organizations to align validation strategy with product risk, customer expectations, and business priorities.
• Present technical recommendations and strategic direction to engineering and executive leadership.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across the validation community.

Benefits

• Choice of medical, dental and vision plans
• Benefit programs that help protect your income if you are unable to work due to illness or injury
• Paid family leave
• Robust paid time-off program
• Paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal