Principal Security Firmware Engineer

Graphcore • Milpitas, CA

37d

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Principal Security Firmware Engineer to design, implement, and validate security mechanisms within embedded firmware and low-level system software supporting Graphcore’s AI compute platforms. This role focuses on protecting hardware platforms through secure firmware architecture, trusted boot mechanisms, and secure firmware update frameworks while working closely with hardware, firmware, and security architecture teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 5–10+ years of experience in embedded systems or firmware development.
• Strong programming experience in C and C++.
• Deep understanding of secure boot architectures and trusted boot chains.
• Strong knowledge of cryptographic protocols and secure firmware design practices.
• Experience working with embedded operating systems such as FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or Linux.
• Experience implementing secure firmware update systems and cryptographic key management.

Nice To Haves

• Programming experience in Rust.
• Experience integrating TPM or hardware security modules (HSM).
• Experience with static analysis and security tools such as Coverity.
• Knowledge of secure silicon architectures and trusted execution environments.
• Experience contributing to open-source firmware security projects.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement secure firmware architectures for embedded and hardware systems.
• Develop secure boot, firmware authentication, hardware root of trust, and secure firmware update mechanisms.
• Define threat models and security requirements for firmware components.
• Develop and maintain secure embedded firmware using languages such as C, C++, and Rust.
• Integrate cryptographic libraries and hardware security modules (HSM/TPM).
• Implement protections against firmware tampering, side-channel attacks, fault injection, and reverse engineering.
• Perform firmware security assessments, code reviews, and vulnerability analysis.
• Conduct penetration testing, fuzz testing, and other security validation techniques.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to integrate chip-level security features.
• Ensure firmware implementations align with industry standards such as NIST, FIPS, and Secure Development Lifecycle practices.

Benefits

• In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers a competitive benefits package.
• We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we’re committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone.
• We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us.
• We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.

What This Job Offers

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