Embedded Software Development Engineer

Senior Embedded Software Development EngineerLocation: Redmond, Washington, United StatesJob Type: Full-Time (Hybrid, 3 days/week in office)Responsibilities:Design, develop, test, and maintain embedded userspace C++ software that powers Microsoft's custom quantum readout instruments.Develop high-performance, near real-time data pipelines between FPGA/SoC hardware and client software using Direct Memory Access (DMA), efficient buffering, and low-latency execution.Implement, integrate, and debug hardware interfaces using Memory-Mapped I/O (MMIO), interrupts, and device driver APIs.Collaborate closely with FPGA engineers to resolve hardware and software integration challenges.Build reliable networked C++ services that support multiple concurrent clients, versioned binary protocols, and service discovery.Design structured logging, telemetry, health monitoring, crash diagnostics, and reliability features for long-running quantum instruments.Develop simulation and mock environments for hardware-dependent software;Contribute to Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines and hardware-in-the-loop testing.Validate software changes across FPGA and embedded hardware environments.Work closely with quantum experimentalists, FPGA engineers, control engineers, and software developers to deliver integrated quantum systems.Utilize modern AI-assisted development tools to improve engineering productivity.Follow Microsoft's engineering culture, best practices, and organizational values.Qualifications:Doctorate in Physics, Engineering, or a related field with at least 1 year of industry or research experience, including postdoctoral research.ORMaster's degree in Physics, Engineering, or a related field with at least 4 years of industry or research experience.ORBachelor's degree in Physics, Engineering, or a related field with at least 6 years of industry or research experience.OREquivalent professional experience.Ability to satisfy Microsoft security screening requirements, including Microsoft Cloud Background Check.Ability to meet export control and citizenship verification requirements where applicable.Experience using AI tools to improve software development, research, automation, and engineering workflows.Familiarity with AI agents or copilots for software design, experiment setup, log analysis, documentation, specification generation, and knowledge retrieval.Preferred:5+ years of modern C++ (C++17 or newer) development experience.Experience developing Linux userspace software and interacting with device drivers and system services.Strong knowledge of multithreaded and concurrent programming.Experience interfacing software with hardware through MMIO, DMA, or similar technologies.Experience building network services using TCP/IP and binary communication protocols.Experience with CMake and Linux debugging tools such as gdb and core dumps;Experience with embedded Linux on ARM platforms, including Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+, Yocto, or PetaLinux.Experience with RF, scientific, or signal-processing instrumentation including ADCs, DACs, data acquisition, and timing systems.Experience designing highly observable and reliable systems using telemetry, watchdogs, health monitoring, and post-mortem diagnostics.Experience building simulation frameworks or mock hardware layers for continuous integration.Familiarity with Python for automation, tooling, and client integration.Exposure to quantum computing, quantum control systems, or advanced scientific instrumentation.Benefits and Compensation:Base salary: USD $119,800 to $234,700 annually across most U.S. locations.Base salary for the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City Metropolitan Area: USD $160,200 to $261,000 annually.Eligible roles may receive additional compensation and comprehensive Microsoft employee benefits.Hybrid work schedule with three in-office days per week;Less than 25% travel required.Opportunity to work on Microsoft's topological quantum computing platform and Azure Quantum.Collaborate with leading experts in quantum computing, embedded systems, physics, AI, and high-performance computing.Other Information:Company: MicrosoftProfession: Quantum ComputingDiscipline: Quantum EngineeringRole Type: Individual ContributorWork Arrangement: Hybrid (3 days per week in office)Travel: Less than 25%