Firmware Engineer

About Ascendion :

Ascendion is a full service digital engineering solutions company. We make and manage software platforms and products that power growth and deliver captivating experiences to consumers and employees. Our engineering, cloud, data, experience design, and talent solution capabilities accelerate transformation and impact for enterprise clients. Headquartered in New Jersey, our workforce of 6,000 Ascenders delivers solutions from around the globe. Ascendion is built differently to engineer the next.

Ascendion | Engineering to elevate life

We have a culture built on opportunity, inclusion, and a spirit of partnership. Come, change the world with us:

Build the coolest tech for world’s leading brands

Solve complex problems - and learn new skills

Experience the power of transforming digital engineering for Fortune 500 clients

Master your craft with leading training programs and hands-on experience

Experience a community of change makers!

Join a culture of high-performing innovators with endless ideas and a passion for tech. Our culture is the fabric of our company, and it is what makes us unique and diverse. The way we share ideas, learning, experiences, successes, and joy allows everyone to be their best at Ascendion.

Title: Software Design Engineer 5

Location: Hybrid

Explain a typical day in the role

• A typical day in this role is largely hands-on and engineering-focused, with approximately 80% of time spent developing and testing security-related hardware and software used in the Azure fleet.
• The engineer works independently on configuring test systems, writing and modifying test code, executing validation scenarios, troubleshooting issues, and refining automated test pipelines across Windows and Linux server environments.
• Around 10% of the day is spent in focused technical meetings to review designs, test results, or coordinate with developers, while the remaining 10% is dedicated to documentation and reporting of test outcomes.
• The role requires flexibility, strong debugging skills, and the ability to switch between projects as priorities evolve.

Job Responsibilities:

• Fine-tune and improve a variety of sophisticated software implementation projects.
• Gather and analyze system requirements, document specifications, and develop software solutions to meet client needs and data.
• Analyze and review enhancement requests and specifications.
• Implement system software and customize to client requirements.
• Prepare the detailed software specifications and test plans.
• Code new programs to client’s specifications and create test data for testing.
• Modify existing programs to new standards and conduct unit testing of developed programs.
• Create migration packages for system testing, user testing, and implementation.
• Provide quality assurance reviews.
• Perform post-implementation validation of software and resolve any bugs found during testing.

What is the ideal background of a candidate for this role

• The ideal candidate has 8-10 years of experience working at the intersection of hardware and software, with a strong background in testing and developing server-class systems across Windows Server and Linux environments.
• They are proficient in C (with Python for automation), experienced in configuring and validating data-center hardware, and comfortable designing automated test frameworks and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience with open-source development, Rust, or security-sensitive systems is a strong plus. The candidate should be highly self-directed, adaptable across projects, and effective at producing clear technical reports and test results.

Key Discussion Points:

Role Expectations:

• Strong development background required (C, Python, Rust).
• Testing experience is still important but secondary to development.
• Work involves low-level firmware and device driver development, CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps, and VM configuration.

Technical Environment:

• Hardware: Blades, ARM blade for testing.
• OS: Azure hosts (2022, 2024), Windows Server, and VM guests.
• Cluster and lab environments for validation.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field such as computer science, computer engineering or related field required.
• 10 years experience required.
• A solid foundation in computer science, with strong competencies in data structures, algorithms, and software design.
• large systems software design and development experience.
• Experience performing in-depth troubleshooting and unit testing with both new and legacy production systems.
• experience in programming and experience with problem diagnosis and resolution.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• Strong in C and Python; Rust is a “nice to have” but willingness to learn is key.
• Data center experience preferred but not mandatory.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience (flexible for exceptional candidates).

Thanks

Salary Range: $1,66,400 - 1,70,400 Annually -Factors that may affect pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience, and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

Benefits: The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements: [medical insurance] [dental insurance] [vision insurance] [401(k) retirement plan] [long-term disability insurance [short-term disability insurance] [5 personal days accrued each calendar year. The Paid time off benefits meet the paid sick and safe time laws that pertain to the City/ State] [10-15 days of paid vacation time] [6 paid holidays and 1 floating holiday per calendar year]

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