Firmware Engineer Intern Summer 2026

We are seeking a highly motivated Post Graduate (Masters) student or recent graduate to join our firmware this role you will work closely with our senior hardware and software engineers to develop debug and optimize firmware for a custom ARM Cortex-M series based design. You will gain hands-on experience bridging the gap between hardware bring-up and application-level software.

Key Responsibilities

Board Support Package (BSP) Development: Develop and maintain low-level drivers (UART I2C SPI GPIO DMA Timers) for custom ARM Cortex-M0/M3/M4/M33 hardware.

Hardware Bring-up: Assist in the initial power-on and hardware validation of new custom PCBs using debuggers (J-Link ST-Link) and oscilloscopes/logic analyzers.

RTOS Integration: Port and optimize Real-Time Operating Systems (FreeRTOS Zephyr or ThreadX) on the target hardware.

Application Layer: Write application-level firmware to demonstrate hardware capabilities and support system integration.

Debugging: Utilize JTAG/SWD interfaces to debug complex system-level issues involving interrupts memory management and power modes.

Documentation: Create technical documentation for driver APIs and hardware interfaces.

Required Qualifications

Currently pursuing a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science or a related field graduating August 2026 or later

Strong understanding of the ARM Cortex-M architecture (e.g. NVIC MPU SysTick Memory Map).

Proficiency in C (C11/C99) for embedded systems. Familiarity with assembly is a plus.

Experience with microcontroller peripherals (UART SPI I2C ADC DMA Timers).

Hands-on experience with debugging tools (JTAG/SWD) and test equipment (Oscilloscopes Logic Analyzers).

Familiarity with version control (Git) and IDEs (VS Code Keil MDK IAR or Eclipse-based tools).

Preferred Skills (Nice to Haves)

Experience with RTOS concepts (task scheduling mutexes semaphores).

Familiarity with Python or C# for developing internal test automation scripts.

Understanding of low-power design techniques (sleep modes clock gating).

Experience reading schematics and datasheets to write register-level code.

Knowledge of secure boot or cryptographic libraries (mbedTLS TrustZone for ARMv8-M).

More information about NXP in the United States...

NXP is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer regardless of age color national origin race religion creed gender sex sexual orientation gender identity and/or expression marital status status as a disabled veteran and/or veteran of the Vietnam Era or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local addition NXP will provide reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified disabled individuals.