Senior Firmware Validation Engineer

About the role

In this role, you will manage quality assurance and validation for rack-level firmware stacks within ARM-based server systems, ensuring robustness and reliability for demanding workloads. This position centers on testing SoC firmware, OpenBMC, and infrastructure management services tailored for hyperscale AI server environments where uptime and correctness are critical. You will own the end-to-end validation lifecycle, defining strategies that cover bring-up, functional testing, regression, and release verification for complex firmware components. The work requires close collaboration with hardware, system software, and security teams to validate behavior across the entire platform stack under real-world conditions. You will drive the creation of automated test assets that exercise firmware functionality, performance, and security properties at scale. A key aspect of the position is to ensure firmware update frameworks meet stringent requirements for reliability, including rollback protection, redundancy, and cryptographically signed updates. You will also be responsible for validating platform security implementations such as secure boot, Root of Trust, and TPM integration to meet industry and customer compliance standards. Through these efforts, you will contribute directly to the stability and security of Graphcore's server platforms throughout the product lifecycle.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Create and implement validation strategies for rack-level firmware on ARM server platforms, covering functional, regression, and stress test scenarios.
• Build automated test frameworks for platform bring-up and firmware lifecycle processes, ensuring broad coverage and rapid execution across test silicon.
• Incorporate automated test cases for firmware components into CI/CD pipelines, enabling early detection of regressions and faster feedback to developers.
• Verify firmware update frameworks, including rollback protection, redundancy mechanisms, and cryptographically signed updates to maintain system integrity.
• Test platform security implementations such as secure boot, Root of Trust, and TPM integration, validating both policy and measured boot processes.
• Perform system-level debugging and root cause analysis across hardware, firmware, and platform integration, using logs, traces, and protocol analysis.
• Develop regression testing pipelines and automation frameworks that are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with industry best practices.
• Partner with silicon vendors, ODM partners, and internal engineering teams during manufacturing ramp and system bring-up to align on test expectations and results.
• Collaborate with firmware and system software engineers to translate requirements into testable criteria and verify correct implementation through targeted test cases.
• Contribute to the improvement of testing methodologies, tools, and documentation, ensuring that validation assets can be reused across projects and teams.
• Support the creation of test plans and compliance artifacts that demonstrate adherence to internal standards and external certifications.
• Drive continuous improvement in test coverage, execution reliability, and performance, reducing manual effort and increasing automation rates.
• Act as a subject matter expert for platform validation, mentoring junior engineers and guiding best practices across the organization.
• Participate in on-call rotations as needed to triage firmware-related issues observed in validation and early life deployment scenarios.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor or Master degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience, demonstrating a strong technical foundation.
• Bring 6+ years of professional experience in platform or firmware validation for data center or server systems, with a track record of delivering reliable test strategies.
• Possess proven experience validating ARM server firmware, specifically EDK II/UEFI and OpenBMC, including boot flow verification and platform services testing.
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of server architecture, including networking, thermals, power delivery, and rack infrastructure, and how these elements interact with firmware.
• Show experience validating firmware security features such as secure boot and Root of Trust, including measurement and verification mechanisms.
• Have familiarity with firmware update frameworks and lifecycle management, including secure packaging, staging, and activation processes.
• Exhibit experience constructing CI/CD pipelines and automation frameworks for firmware testing, using tools and languages common in systems validation.
• Hold the ability to read and interpret firmware source code, boot logs, and system traces to diagnose complex issues across multiple layers.

Practical notes

The role is based in Austin, Texas, and operates on a full-time basis, aligning with standard employment hours as defined by local regulations and team needs. There are no specific international travel requirements, visa sponsorship details, or application deadlines communicated in the available source information. You will work within the Platform Validation team, collaborating closely with firmware engineers, system architects, and silicon partners to ensure comprehensive validation coverage. Success in this position depends on your ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining rigorous standards for firmware quality and security.