About this FPGA Configuration and Security (Firmware) Validation Engineer role at Altera
Job Details:
Job Description:
Job Description
If you are someone who enjoys keeping things interesting and thinking on your feet, continue reading because there will be no two days alike hereon.
We are seeking a highly skilled Firmware Validation Engineer with proven experience in validating complex FPGA user flows on pre‑silicon and/or post‑silicon platforms. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in firmware/embedded software testing, strong analytical skills, and a passion for delivering high‑quality products at system-level configuration and FPGA partial reconfiguration (PR) areas.
This candidate is expected to pivot validation strategy to focus on embedded (FPGA) customer use-cases to validate real‑world scenarios on embedded (FPGA) platforms. This role focuses on end‑to‑end system behaviour, ensuring that integrated hardware, firmware, drivers, and applications work seamlessly together under practical operating conditions. You will translate user workflows and usage scenarios into structured test cases, uncover system-level issues, and collaborate across engineering teams to deliver reliable, production-ready embedded solutions.
The successful candidate will be part of the Altera Software and IP Solutions (SIPS) Team.
Why this Role Matters?
Use-case testing is where the real-world behaviour of the device is validated. You will play a critical role in ensuring that the product behaves reliably not only in lab conditions but in actual customer environments—making this role essential to product success.
If you aspire to grow into a leader in embedded and especially in FPGA systems and software ecosystem, this is the role for you.
Key Responsibilities
Component, System and User Acceptance Validation
- Develop comprehensive validation plans, test strategies, and test coverage matrices for embedded firmware and system-level functionality based on but not limited to FPGA firmware and hardware specifications, requirements from marketing/product planning team, and more importantly from deep diving into customer usage scenarios and use conditions
- Analyse product requirements, customer workflows, and functional specifications to derive end‑to‑end use cases
- Define acceptance criteria and validation coverage for each use case
- Design, implement, and successfully execute automated test cases
- Perform regression testing, functional testing, stress testing, negative testing, and integration testing and end-to-end customer use-case testing
Debug & Root Cause Analysis
- Diagnose, reproduce, and root-cause complex firmware/system issues
- Triangulate failures across firmware, software, and hardware boundaries
- Work with firmware engineers, hardware designers, and system architects to root-cause issues
- Track defects, document findings, and drive issue resolution to closure
- Collaborate closely with firmware, hardware, and architecture teams to isolate defects and drive resolution
Automation & Infrastructure
- Develop or enhance automation frameworks using Python, Perl or scripting tools
- Improve log collection, test orchestration, and result reporting systems
- Contribute to continuous integration/continuous validation (CI/CV) infrastructure
- Maintain test equipment, lab setups, and test environments
Documentation & Reporting
- Provide detailed test reports, defect logs, and validation summaries
- Document test procedures, configuration details, and validation outcomes
- Participate in design reviews, risk assessments, and release readiness evaluations
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's/Master's or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field
- At least 8-9+ years of experience hands-on experience in firmware or embedded system validation.
- Strong understanding of embedded systems, microcontrollers, SoCs, and low-level firmware architecture and software stack layers
- Proficiency in Python scripting and at least one programming language (C/C++)
- Familiarity with Git, Jira, Jenkins, or other version control & CI/CD systems
In addition to these skills, one or more of the following skills will be an added advantage
- Experience with security/cryptography validation (secure boot, key management), TPM, or credential workflows
- Experience in FPGA system-level configuration and partial reconfiguration (PR) areas
- Experience in automotive, industrial, or safety-critical embedded systems
