Senior Firmware Engineer - NVMe Protocol Engineer

Senior Firmware Engineer
Location: Rancho Cordova, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Compensation: $150,000 - $210,000 Base Salary + Bonus + RSU + Comprehensive Benefits

Position Overview
We are seeking a highly motivated Firmware Engineer with expertise in NVMe protocol development and SSD firmware architecture to join our engineering team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, validating, and maintaining NVMe, SMBus, and I3C protocol stacks for next-generation storage solutions. The ideal candidate will possess strong firmware development skills, deep protocol knowledge, and hands-on debugging experience in storage and embedded systems environments.

Key Responsibilities
NVMe Protocol Stack Design & Development
Design, develop, and maintain the NVMe protocol stack, including Admin and I/O command processing.

Implement and optimize Submission Queue (SQ) and Completion Queue (CQ) management.

Ensure compliance with the latest NVMe specifications and PCIe Gen5 requirements.

Support multi-namespace operations and advanced storage features.

SMBus & I3C Protocol Implementation
Design and implement SMBus and I3C communication protocols.

Develop reliable host-controller communication mechanisms for monitoring and control functions.

Implement read/write operations, status monitoring, temperature and voltage reporting, and control command processing.

Ensure robust communication with comprehensive error handling and recovery mechanisms.

Command Processing & Flow Control
Develop NVMe command parsing, execution, and completion workflows.

Implement efficient data transfer mechanisms and completion handling.

Support timeout management, command aborts, and device reset scenarios.

Design retry and fault-tolerant mechanisms to ensure system reliability.

Error Handling & Recovery
Implement NVMe status reporting, Asynchronous Event Notifications (AEN), and error recovery processes.

Diagnose and resolve protocol-level failures while minimizing host impact.

Develop SMBus/I3C error detection and correction strategies.

Compliance & Interoperability
Validate firmware against industry-standard NVMe compliance suites and host platforms.

Ensure SMBus and I3C implementations comply with JEDEC and MIPI specifications.

Support interoperability across diverse host systems, controllers, and storage environments.

Debugging & Validation
Capture and analyze PCIe/NVMe transactions using protocol analyzers, logic analyzers, and firmware logs.

Monitor SMBus/I3C communications and troubleshoot timing, protocol, and performance issues.

Partner with validation teams to execute compliance, stress, reliability, and corner-case testing.

Support hot-plug, power management, error injection, and multi-protocol concurrency testing.

Perform root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions for field and validation issues.

Minimum Qualifications
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

Minimum 3 years of experience in software or firmware engineering.

Strong experience with SSD controller and firmware architecture.

Proficiency in C/C++ programming and advanced data structures.

Hands-on experience with JTAG/ICE debuggers.

Experience using version control systems such as Git.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, and debugging skills.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a small engineering team.

Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

Self-motivated with the ability to learn quickly and execute effectively with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience using logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and protocol analyzers.

Familiarity with PCIe, NVMe, and SATA protocols.

Understanding of NAND Flash technologies and protocols.

Linux system debugging and development experience.

Ability to read and write Mandarin is a plus.

Compensation & Benefits
Competitive base salary: $150,000 - $210,000 annually

Performance-based annual bonus

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) for eligible employees

Annual merit increases

Invention and Patent Award programs

401(k) employer matching

Length of Service recognition awards

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans for employees and dependents

Opportunity to work on cutting-edge storage technologies in a collaborative engineering environment

COMPENSATION
Base Salary - USD $150,000 to $210,000