Platform Firmware Engineer

The Core Technology Platform Firmware team builds the foundation that every product depends on - the first code that runs, the security model that protects it, and the boot architecture that brings it to life. You will work at the intersection of silicon and software, solving problems that don't have documented answers yet and shaping the firmware that defines how our products start, secure themselves, and perform. This is work where your decisions are etched into silicon and your craftsmanship ships to millions.

You will contribute to boot architectures, security models, and hardware/software interfaces for new products, then bring them to life in the lab on first silicon and prototype hardware. You are the technical anchor for the platform's firmware deliverables - driving the system from first power-on through production hardening and into mass manufacturing. You will partner closely with hardware, silicon vendors, and security teams throughout the product lifecycle.

We are looking for a resilient, self-driven engineer to own platform firmware deliverables from initial concept through mass production. You will work interchangeably with Apple Silicon and third-party vendor silicon depending on project requirements. This is a team that holds a high bar and has each other's backs - we anticipate risks before they become crises, we own the outcomes of our decisions, and we make each other better through honest, constructive feedback. When things go wrong, we learn from it and share what we learned to take the group forward.

Description

Genuine passion for innovation and product development with experience from inception through delivery to customers. The Firmware Engineer will be individually responsible for all things firmware related. Architect, design, develop, and maintain hardware/software systems for Apple products. The individual will also be responsible for shaping firmware features from definition to launch with cross-functional teams in a highly dynamic environment.

Minimum Qualifications

BS in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent professional experience

3+ years of experience in low-level firmware, ROM development, or silicon-level bring-up

Proficiency in C and Assembly for resource-constrained environments (limited SRAM, no heap, no standard library)

Hands-on experience with ARM architectures (ARMv7/ARMv8, A/R/M profiles) at the register level, including exception models, MMU/MPU configuration, and cache coherency

Experience with early boot and Secure Boot implementation - reset vector handlers, clock and memory controller initialization, chain of trust establishment

Experience bringing up new board designs - validating power sequencing, clock trees, and peripheral connectivity on prototype hardware

Proficiency with hardware debugging tools including JTAG, SWD, logic analyzers, and protocol decoders

Shipped at least one product through a complete development lifecycle from silicon bring-up through mass production

Preferred Qualifications

MS in Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering

Experience shipping multiple products through complete development lifecycles (EVT, DVT, PVT, and into mass production), with an understanding of how priorities, risks, and tradeoffs shift at each phase.

Direct experience developing and shipping ROM code in a production environment.

Familiarity with power state transitions and low-power firmware design.

Experience working directly with silicon teams on errata investigation and workaround development.

Track record of proactively identifying and mitigating technical risks ahead of schedule.

Experience reconciling cross-repo dependencies and maintaining firmware deliverables composed of components from multiple teams and vendors.