Staff Engineer

Company Overview 

Ambiq's mission is to?develop the lowest-power semiconductor solutions?to enable intelligent devices everywhere by developing the lowest-power semiconductor solutions to drive a more energy-efficient, sustainable, and data-driven world.?Ambiq has helped leading manufacturers worldwide develop products that last weeks on a single charge (rather than days), while delivering a maximum feature set in compact industrial designs. Ambiq's goal is to take Artificial Intelligence (AI) where it has never gone before in mobile and portable devices, using Ambiq's advanced ultra-low power system on chip (SoC) solutions. Ambiq has shipped more than 250 million units by 2024. For more information, visit  

Our innovative and fast-moving teams of research, development, production, marketing, sales, and operations are spread across several continents, including the US (Austin and San Jose), Taiwan (Hsinchu), China (Shenzhen and Shanghai), Japan (Tokyo), and Singapore. We value continued technology innovation, fanatical attention to customer needs, collaborative decision-making, and enthusiasm for energy efficiency. We embrace candidates who also share these same values. The successful candidate must be self-motivated, creative, and comfortable learning and driving exciting new technologies. We encourage and nurture an environment for growth and opportunities to work on complex, engaging, and challenging projects that will create a lasting impact. Join us on our quest for 100 billion devices. The endpoint intelligence revolution starts here. 

Scope 

As the Staff Engineer, System Test at Ambiq, you will drive the development and execution of system-level tests to improve design coverage and measure system performance for ARM Cortex-M4, Cortex-M55, DSP, and NPU-based platforms. You will also engage in deep-dive debugging across multiple layers, from high-level system behavior to low-level firmware and driver code and hardware blocks, to ensure optimal integration, reliability, and performance. 

This role will work closely with global MCU software, validation, and architecture teams, collaborating closely with SoC design engineers, firmware developers, and hardware teams to define and execute comprehensive test and validation plans for MCU-based platforms. 

The successful candidate will be a proactive, detail-oriented engineer with strong problem-solving skills, comfortable working across hardware and software boundaries. They will thrive in an environment that values technical excellence, effective cross-team collaboration, and continuous learning. 

The person in this role will define, design, and implement test cases for the SDK primarily using C, architected for automation using Ambiq's automation framework – primarily using Python, validate system functionality and performance, perform in-depth debugging of MCU subsystems including Fabrication, DMA, and peripherals, and provide technical leadership in system test methodology and automation. 

Responsibilities 

• Plan, develop, and execute system-level test strategies for ARM Cortex-M4, Cortex-M55, DSP, and NPU-based platforms. 
• Design and implement firmware test frameworks to validate system functionality, performance, and reliability across multiple integration layers. 
• Develop, maintain, and execute embedded test cases for the SDK primarily using C and assembly. 
• Develop, maintain, and execute automation using Python or other scripting languages 
• Measure, analyze, and report on system performance metrics, identifying bottlenecks and recommending optimizations. 
• Debug and resolve complex issues spanning from application-level interactions to low-level firmware, drivers, and hardware interfaces. 
• Collaborate with architecture, hardware, and software teams to define test requirements and acceptance criteria. 
• Support pre-silicon validation on FPGA/emulation platforms as well as post-silicon bring-up, validation, and debugging. 
• Contribute to continuous improvement of test methodologies, tools, and workflows. 
• Mentor and guide junior engineers in system testing, embedded development, and automation best practices.  

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.  
• 8+ years of experience in embedded system-level testing, validation, or embedded system development, preferably on ARM Cortex-M architectures. 
• Proficiency in C/C++ and Assembly programming for embedded targets. 
• Strong understanding of MCU architecture, including DMA, memory hierarchy, peripheral interfaces, and interrupt handling. 
• Knowledge of embedded RTOS concepts (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, etc.) preferred. 
• Strong Python programming skills for test automation and data analysis. 
• Experience working at system OEMs and performing system-level debugging is preferred. 
• Familiarity with hardware bring-up, schematic/block diagram reading, and interface validation is highly desirable. 
• Strong debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and other lab equipment. 
• Familiarity with MCU peripherals such as display, audio, and wireless interfaces is a strong plus.. 
• Excellent problem-solving skills, able to work independently and manage multiple priorities. 
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams. 

What You'll Need: 

Ambiq is a company that values continued technology innovation, fanatical attention to customer needs, collaborative decision-making, and, above all, enthusiasm for energy efficiency.  The incoming candidate should embrace these same values.  The successful candidate must be self-motivated, creative, and comfortable learning exciting new technologies.  This is an opportunity for growth and work on complex, interesting, and challenging projects.   

Most importantly, the successful candidate will be able to live the Ambiq Shared Values: 

• Innovate: We tenaciously find ways to break down the barriers to possible solutions 
• Collaborate: We proactively communicate and encourage each other to be better. 
• Focus: We keep the voice of the customer at the center of everything we do. 
• Learn: We strive for continuous improvement and are always curious. 
• Achieve: We execute on quality and follow through on our commitments.