Firmware Validation Engineer

Intel Intel · Semiconductors · Bangalore, India

Firmware Validation Engineer at Intel, focusing on defining validation strategies, developing automated test frameworks (Python/pytest), validating low-level embedded features, and performing root-cause analysis for pre-silicon and post-silicon environments. Requires strong embedded systems fundamentals, test automation proficiency, and debugging skills.

What you'd actually do

  1. Define validation strategy and test plans for firmware/embedded features across pre-silicon (sim/emulation/FPGA) and post-silicon environments.
  2. Develop and maintain automated Python based test frameworks for functional, regression, stress, performance, power, and reliability validation.
  3. Validate firmware for low-level subsystems (boot flow, PCIe, memory, power/thermal, security, manageability, storage/network as applicable).
  4. Own triage and root-cause analysis of failures; isolate HW vs FW vs SW/tool/test issues; provide actionable debug data and reproduction steps.
  5. Create/maintain test infrastructure for Simulators/Emulators: CI pipelines, dashboards, log collection, test result analysis, and release sign-off criteria.

Skills

Required

  • Embedded systems validation
  • Firmware validation
  • System validation
  • Python
  • pytest
  • Debugging
  • Triage
  • Test automation
  • Emulators
  • Simulators
  • FPGA prototyping
  • Validation methodologies
  • Clear communication

Nice to have

  • Traffic generators tools (IXIA, Iperf, Scapy)
  • IPU/NIC/DPU architecture
  • PCIe
  • DDR
  • NVMe
  • Ethernet
  • USB
  • I2C/SPI/UART
  • Power management
  • Post-silicon lab skills
  • Scope/LA usage
  • Protocol analyzers
  • Board bring-up
  • CI/CD tools
  • Git

What the JD emphasized

  • 6+ years of experience in Firmware and System/Hardware validation
  • Strong embedded and system validation fundamentals
  • Test automation proficiency
  • Strong hands on experience on Emulators, Simulator and/or FPGA prototyping
  • Debugging/triage skills