Technical Staff System Validation Engineer

Are you looking for a unique opportunity to be a part of something great? Want to join a 20,000-member team that works on the technology that powers the world around us? Looking for an atmosphere of trust, empowerment, respect, diversity, and communication? How about an opportunity to own a piece of a multi-billion dollar (with a B!) global organization? We offer all that and more at Microchip Technology, Inc.
People come to work at Microchip because we help design the technology that runs the world. They stay because our culture supports their growth and stability. They are challenged and driven by an incredible array of products and solutions with unlimited career potential. Microchip’s nationally-recognized Leadership Passage Programs support career growth where we proudly enroll over a thousand people annually. We take pride in our commitment to employee development, values-based decision making, and strong sense of community, driven by our Vision, Mission, and 11 Guiding Values; we affectionately refer to it as the Aggregate System and it’s won us countless awards for diversity and workplace excellence.
Our company is built by dedicated team players who love to challenge the status quo; we did not achieve record revenue and over 30 years of quarterly profitability without a great team dedicated to empowering innovation. People like you.
Visit our careers page to see what exciting opportunities and company perks await!

Microchip’s Data Center Solutions Business Unit (DCS) delivers industry leading performance, reliability, and security in Storage Controllers, Memory Controllers, NVMe SSD Controllers, PCIe Switches and SAS Expanders that are applied in Cloud Storage and Compute Data Centers, and Storage Area Networks.
As a Technical Staff System Validation Engineer, you will join a group of world class talented system integrators responsible for the bring-up, integration and validation of cutting-edge System on a Chip (SoC) products for the Data Center Solutions Business Unit.
A Validation Engineer is responsible for designing and building infrastructure that is required to integrate and validate the SoC for its intended use models. This involves building the entire prototype ecosystem like boards, FPGAs, FW, Software and Automation suites; And then further integrating this environment with internally developed test equipment, protocol analyzers, exercisers and x86 based HW.
A Validation Engineer develops a comprehensive test plan by utilizing design specifications, marketing requirements and newly drafted standards including PCIe, CXL, DDR4/5, NVMe, SAS, SATA, NAND flash and other standards commonly used in Cloud Data and Compute Centers or Storage Area Networks. Using validation infrastructure and the plan, a validation engineer develops and executes pre- and post-silicon tests that fully exercises the prototype SoC and embedded FW.
The primary skill of Validation Engineers is to develop and integrate complex systems, test, debug and problem solve. On the job you will gain intimate understanding of relevant protocol specifications, IP design and become expert in SOCs design/architecture, isolating problems, and finding solutions. The job provides excellent opportunity to grow domain knowledge and become an expert in these leading-edge fields.
The validation work environment offers opportunity to interact closely with other groups like design, FW, pre-silicon emulation, verification, applications, and have a prospect for job rotation or transfers within the company.
To learn more about working for Microchip’s Data Centre Solutions team, click here.
The Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To

• Finding and reporting bugs. Working with cross-expertise teams and leading efforts to isolate, investigate and solve them.
• Leading complex test execution and conducting investigations in a lab environment on-site and remotely.
• Working with pre-silicon FGPA based emulation platforms and prototype (post-silicon) ICs/SOCs.
• Developing block, subsystem and system level test FW and scripts, and further integrating them in to best-in-class test automation suites.
• Leading small technical team activities in area of expertise.
• Learning and dynamically applying knowledge of the device, system, protocols, and industry standards.
• Integrating prototype SOC HW and FW into a complete solution. This includes working with emulation platforms, proto-ICs, validation boards, FW and SW to bring an entire system level solution to life and enable functional testing and FW development.
• Architecting comprehensive test plans for area of expertise.
• Effectively presenting technical information to internal and external groups.
• Develop, execute, and document a series of feature tests that will fully validate the operation of the SoC and its various functional HW blocks and FW to ensure all components and the overall SoC is functioning per design specs, achieves expected performance and meets industry requirements and standards.
• Architecting, building and maintaining validation infrastructure through the development of boards, FPGAs, embedded software, device drivers and test bench scripts.
• Help grow and train the validation team.

The role and responsibilities will grow with the individual candidate’s skills and interests.
Requirements/Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of scripting language such as Python or Tcl/Tk, proficiency in C/C++ programming.
• Experience working in Linux and Windows based OS environments.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Computer Science.
• Experience in debug and investigation of SoC’s using FW and MIPS debug environment.
• Ability to quickly learn new technologies, protocols and standards.
• Experience in IC and SoC validation.
• Knowledge of PCIe system architecture and protocol. Ability to read and analyze PCIe protocol traces.
• Hands-on hardware experience with x86 based systems.
• Experience in defining comprehensive test coverage at sub-block and system level, utilizing design specification, feature requirements and industry standards.
• Strong communications and interpersonal skills.
• SoC performance validation and performance tuning experience is an asset.
• Experience working with prototype ICs, boards and HW infrastructure.
• Strong knowledge of Data Communication and Digital Design theory.
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience. More junior applicants will be considered for other levels.
• Experience testing and debugging high-speed SERDES.
• Strong knowledge of digital system and computer architecture.
• Thorough knowledge of circuit theory and high-speed signal fundamentals.
• Experience in PCIe and/or DDR validation.
• Comfortable working with developing specs and standards.
• Experience leading a small technical team.
• Familiarity with CXL, DDR, I2C, SPI protocols is an asset.
• Ability to develop and execute functional validation plans and necessary validation software and scripts.
• Team player working well with peers and cross-functional groups.
• Experience working in a lab environment and knowledge of relevant test equipment and protocol analyzers.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in high-speed digital designs, board designs, PCB layouts, signal integrity concepts and manufacturing process is an asset.
• Knowledge of FPGA layout tools and VHDL/Verilog coding.
• Threadx or RTOS knowledge.
• Past experience developing and debugging MIPS based architecture. Programming FW in C/C++
• Working knowledge of protocols like: PCIe, CXL, DDR, NVMe, ONFI, SAS, SATA I2C, SPI and protocol trace debugging.
• In depth Linux OS architecture and driver knowledge.
• Linux or Windows host driver development.
• Familiarity with FPGA based emulation environments - deployment of test coverage for pre-silicon test is an asset.

Travel Time
0% - 25%