Principal Firmware Engineer

Job ID: 200043486Posted: 2026-09-08Location: United States, Washington, RedmondSalary: USD $142,800 - $274,800 per yearEmployment type: Full-TimeWork site: 3 days / week in-officeRole type: Individual ContributorTravel: Less than 25%Profession: Hardware EngineeringDiscipline: Firmware EngineeringCompany: MicrosoftOverviewMicrosoft Silicon, Cloud Hardware, and Infrastructure Engineering (SCHIE) is the team behind Microsoft’s expanding Cloud Infrastructure and responsible for powering Microsoft’s “Intelligent Cloud” mission. SCHIE delivers the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Teams, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform globally with our server and data center infrastructure, security and compliance, operations, globalization, and manageability solutions. Our focus is on smart growth, high efficiency, and delivering a trusted experience to customers and partners worldwide and we are looking for engineers to help achieve that mission.As Microsoft's cloud business continues to grow the ability to deploy new offerings and hardware infrastructure on time, in high volume with high quality and lowest cost is of paramount importance. To achieve this goal, the SCHIE BIOS/UEFI CoE (Center of Excellence) team is instrumental in defining and delivering operational measures of success for hardware manufacturing, improving the planning process, quality, delivery, scale and sustainability related to Microsoft cloud hardware. We are looking for engineers with a dedicated passion for customer focused solutions, insight and industry knowledge to envision and implement future technical solutions that will manage and optimize the Cloud infrastructure.We are seeking an accomplished Principal Firmware Engineer to join a team of talented engineers, providing strategic technical direction for BIOS/UEFI development team. This team is responsible for delivering robust, high-quality BIOS/UEFI solutions across the entire Microsoft Cloud fleet and managing them throughout their lifecycle. In this role, you will actively collaborate with internal Microsoft teams as well as external partners, including silicon vendors, to ensure our BIOS/UEFI solutions are secure, highly available, and continuously innovative.At Microsoft, we immensely value culture, mentorship, and act as One Team. This is an opportunity to leverage your technical expertise and grow your existing experience in an innovative and highly collaborative environment where the results of your work will matter to Microsoft and Microsoft’s customers.#SCHIEResponsibilitiesAs a Principal Firmware Engineer, you will be part of engineering team and collaborate with partners to develop and maintain the BIOS/UEFI portfolio, supporting infrastructure across the Azure fleet.Drive strategic objectives and key results to enhance Azure’s BIOS/UEFI security posture by ensuring timely resolutions of security vulnerabilities and keeping firmware components current, thereby achieving the highest security standards across the fleet.Partnering with the Hardware New Program Initiative team and engineering counterparts, you will oversee the development of new hardware SKUs, ensuring compliance with BIOS/UEFI requirements, adherence to development schedules, comprehensive validation, and the successful execution of rollout plans for AI-driven, next-generation compute, and high-memory SKUs.Beyond leading new product introduction (NPI) hardware development, this role will champion the implementation of new BIOS/UEFI requirements to optimize performance, telemetry, and diagnostics in collaboration with cross-functional teams.Manage requirements, and feature delivery through agile execution, including sprints, backlogs, and milestones, while leading continuous planning efforts.Define, communicate, and establish vendor-agnostic requirements for innovative hardware solutions powering Azure, engaging actively with internal and external partners such as silicon vendors, ODMs, and OEMs worldwide.Microsoft is at the forefront of developing standardized requirements and processes with key stakeholders in the hardware and firmware industry. In this role, you will partner with architects, technical program managers, and engineering leaders to advance these standardization efforts within Microsoft and throughout the silicon industry.QualificationsRequired Qualifications: Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years technical engineering experience OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience.Other: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.Preferred Qualifications: 12+ years of experience with majority as a Technical Lead, or similar.Proficient in developing low-level FW or SW for HW platforms, including FW, BIOS, UEFI, EDK2, BMC, among others.Demonstrated expertise in leadership, and cross-functional collaboration, with a proven history of overseeing complex projects spanning multiple disciplines and business groups.Experience managing the product lifecycle from project inception through release, with the capability to guide teams toward realizing strategic visions.Proven ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments, balance multiple priorities, and drive resolution with a commitment to quality.Advanced problem-solving abilities and strategic thinking, with the capacity to develop and monitor success metrics for designated areas.Strong ability to synthesize information and communicate solutions to intricate technical challenges with effective presentations across all levels of the organization, both technical and non-technical.Bonus Qualifications:Background in firmware / software development, testing strategies, and requirements definition.Familiarity with end-to-end CPU/SoC product development processes.Experience with data center hardware/software projects, from concept through deployment.Technically adept, capable of addressing complex problems, and able to work independently.Over 10+ years of experience in software development using one or more programming languages such as C, C++, C#, Python, etc.Firmware Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.