Firmware Engineer (FTL)

Position : Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL)

Location : Rancho Cordova, CA, 95742 - onsite

Interview : Video

Experience : 8 (Min) - 15 (Max)

Job Description:

Looking for a Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL). Please review the below description and let us know if you are interested.

Prioritized Must Have Skills for the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

• 3+ years of experience in SSD controller and firmware architecture, including FTL development.
• Strong C/C++ programming and data structures experience in software/firmware development.
• Hands-on experience with FTL algorithms, including Garbage Collection, Wear Leveling, bad block management, metadata handling, and NAND error management.
• Hands-on experience with JTAG/ICE debugging and firmware debugging, validation, and root-cause analysis.
• Strong understanding of NAND flash and SSD technologies, including PCIe/NVMe or SATA protocols and power-loss protection/recovery.

Responsibilities of the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

Design and Maintain FTL Architecture

• Develop and maintain the Flash Translation Layer (FTL), including I/O flow, Garbage Collection, and Wear Leveling algorithms to ensure data integrity and maximize NAND endurance.

Block Management and Metadata Handling

• Implement bad block detection, isolation, and data migration mechanisms to manage block lifecycle.
• Design robust metadata structures to support fast mapping table reconstruction and system boot.

Error Handling Mechanisms

• Prevent and mitigate NAND-related issues such as read disturb, program/erase failures, and retention loss.
• Implement RAID encode/decode flows to guarantee data reliability.

Power-Loss Protection

• Design and implement power-loss protection algorithms to maintain data consistency and metadata integrity during unexpected shutdowns.
• Verify and optimize power-loss recovery flow to ensure fast and reliable system startup.

Performance and Resource Optimization

• Optimize channel/die/plane access scheduling and parallelism to improve throughput and reduce latency.
• Enhance DRAM/SRAM usage efficiency and reduce Write Amplification for better endurance and performance.

Debugging and Validation

• Develop and analyze FTL traces and logs for performance profiling and issue root-cause analysis.
• Conduct stress testing, mixed workload testing, power-fail tests, and corner-case verification to ensure firmware stability and reliability.
• Collaborate with Validation, Hardware, and ASIC teams to resolve cross-functional issues and ensure system robustness.

Requirements of the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

• Master s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of experience in software/firmware applications engineering.
• At least 3 years of experience with SSD controller/firmware architecture.
• Strong experience in C/C++ programming and data structures.
• Hands-on experience with JTAG/ICE debuggers.
• Experience with version control software such as Git.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a small team.
• Must be willing to learn quickly and work effectively as a team player.
• Strong oral, written, and presentation skills for communication and documentation.
• Ability to work independently with minimal day-to-day supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and bus protocol analyzers.
• Familiarity with SATA/PCIe (NVMe) protocols.
• Familiarity with NAND flash protocols.
• Linux system debugging experience.
• Fluency in reading and writing Mandarin preferred.

Benefits of the Senior Firmware Engineer(FTL):

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• 401(k) - Employer Match

Regards,

Adam Jones (Azam)

Direct: 5 5 1 2 6 4 7 2 4 9

Email: Adam (@) pullskill (dot) com