Senior Staff SoftwareFirmware Engineer-RISC-V validation backbone spanning MCU integration, firmware, and automation

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profile Job Location:

Santa Clara County, CA - USA

profile Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed
Posted on: 15 hours ago
Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

About Marvell

Marvells semiconductor solutions are the essential building blocks of the data infrastructure that connects our world. Across enterprise cloud and AI and carrier architectures our innovative technology is enabling new possibilities.

At Marvell you can affect the arc of individual lives lift the trajectory of entire industries and fuel the transformative potential of tomorrow. For those looking to make their mark on purposeful and enduring innovation above and beyond fleeting trends Marvell is a place to thrive learn and lead.

Your Team Your Impact

Marvell Central Engineering (CE) develops Marvell most advanced High-Speed SerDes (HSS) IPs covering multiple applications Switch Automotive Storage Optics etc. Acting as the engine to the company Central Engineering provides the source of power to every business unit in Marvell system. Central System Engineering (CSE) in Central Engineering independent of other CE functions including DSP algorithm development circuit design physical design packaging etc. is a function team responsible of validating all Marvell HSS IPs in the lab environment and supporting all Marvell business units for fast and smooth SoC production.

What You Can Expect

RISC-V MCU / SoC Integration Ownership

  • Lead integration of an embedded RISC-V core (e.g. SiFive E24 Core) into chip validation environments
  • Define MCU subsystem architecture: memory map boot flow and execution environment
  • Integrate and validate system interconnect (AHB/AXI-lite) and memory hierarchy (ROM/SRAM)
  • Implement interrupt architecture using PLIC and CLINT

Firmware Development for PHY Validation

  • Develop bare-metal and RTOS-based firmware for PHY/IP control and bring-up
  • Implement calibration training and tuning algorithms for high-speed interfaces
  • Build reusable firmware frameworks for:
    • Register-level control abstraction
    • Test sequencing and automation
    • Logging diagnostics and error handling

System-Level Bring-Up & Debug

  • Lead silicon and pre-silicon bring-up using embedded firmware
  • Debug cross-domain issues across hardware firmware and PHY behavior
  • Enable rapid iteration of initialization configuration and recovery flows
  • Drive root-cause analysis for system-level failures

Validation Automation & Framework Integration

  • Integrate RISC-V firmware into existing PHY validation automation framework
  • Enable unified validation across simulation emulation/FPGA and silicon
  • Develop firmware-driven test scenarios replacing or complementing external stimulus
  • Build infrastructure for automated test execution and result collection

Validation Strategy & Coverage Expansion

  • Transition validation methodology from directed external tests to software-driven closed-loop validation
  • Define and implement coverage for:
    • Functional PHY behavior
    • Corner cases and stress conditions
    • Recovery and error handling scenarios
  • Ensure reusability of validation content across programs and platforms

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Partner with RTL teams on SoC integration and interface definitions
  • Work with validation teams to align firmware-driven test strategies
  • Collaborate with architecture teams to define scalable validation platform direction
  • Support system-level debug across hardware/software boundaries

Infrastructure & Toolchain Ownership

  • Maintain RISC-V toolchain environment (GCC linker scripts startup code)
  • Support debug infrastructure (JTAG OpenOCD GDB workflows)
  • Drive automation for firmware build deployment and regression execution

What Were Looking For

Must Have

  • 8 years of experience in embedded systems firmware or SoC development
  • Strong proficiency in C/C with bare-metal programming
  • Experience with low-level system development:
    • Boot flows startup code linker scripts
    • Memory-mapped I/O and register-level programming
    • Interrupt handling and real-time constraints
  • Hands-on experience debugging HW/SW integration issues (silicon FPGA or RTL simulation)
  • Solid understanding of computer architecture fundamentals (CPU memory hierarchy buses)

Nice to Have

  • Experience with RISC-V systems or similar MCU architectures (e.g. ARM Cortex-M)
  • Exposure to embedded SoC integration (bus fabrics such as AHB/AXI-lite)
  • Familiarity with interrupt systems such as PLIC and CLINT
  • Experience with PHY / SerDes / high-speed IP bring-up or validation
  • RTOS experience (e.g. FreeRTOS Zephyr)
  • Exposure to silicon bring-up or post-silicon validation

Strong Plus (Differentiators)

  • Experience building firmware-driven validation frameworks or automation infrastructure
  • Familiarity with simulation/emulation workflows (RTL co-sim FPGA prototyping)
  • Experience in closed-loop control systems (calibration tuning adaptive algorithms)
  • Exposure to hardware verification or validation environments (UVM testbenches)

Core Skills for Success in This Role

  • Ability to bridge hardware firmware and validation domains
  • Strong system-level debugging mindset across HW/SW boundaries
  • Ability to design scalable reusable validation approaches (not just point tests)
  • Experience working in cross-functional teams (RTL validation architecture)

Expected Base Pay Range (USD)

131010 - 196300 $ per annum

The successful candidates starting base pay will be determined based on job-related skills experience qualifications work location and market conditions. The expected base pay range for this role may be modified based on market conditions.

Additional Compensation and Benefit Elements

Marvell is committed to providing exceptional comprehensive benefits that support our employees at every stage - from internship to retirement and through lifes most important moments. Our offerings are built around four key pillars: financial well-being family support mental and physical health and recognition. Highlights include an employee stock purchase plan with a 2-year look back family support programs to help balance work and home life robust mental health resources to prioritize emotional well-being and a recognition and service awards to celebrate contributions and milestones. We look forward to sharing more with you during the interview process.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex national origin sexual orientation gender identity disability or protected veteran status.

Any applicant who requires a reasonable accommodation during the selection process should contact Marvell HR Helpdesk at .

Interview Integrity

To support fair and authentic hiring practices candidates are not permitted to use AI tools (such as transcription apps real-time answer generators like ChatGPT or Copilot or automated note-taking bots) during interviews.

These tools must not be used to record assist with or enhance responses in any way. Our interviews are designed to evaluate your individual experience thought process and communication skills in real time. Use of AI tools without prior instruction from the interviewer will result in disqualification from the hiring process.

This position may require access to technology and/or software subject to U.S. export control laws and regulations including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). As such applicants must be eligible to access export-controlled information as defined under applicable law. Marvell may be required to obtain export licensing approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce and/or the U.S. Department of State. Except for U.S. citizens lawful permanent residents or protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) all applicants may be subject to an export license review process prior to employment.

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Required Experience:

Staff IC

About Marvell Marvells semiconductor solutions are the essential building blocks of the data infrastructure that connects our world. Across enterprise cloud and AI and carrier architectures our innovative technology is enabling new possibilities.At Marvell you can affect the arc of individual lives ...
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Designed for your current needs and future ambitions, Marvell delivers the data infrastructure technology transforming tomorrow’s enterprise, cloud, automotive, and carrier architectures for the better.

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