Principal Engineer, Software

At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation. 
 

Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer with deep technical expertise in embedded systems and firmware development. This role is critical to driving innovation and execution across our platform, with a focus on BIOS, BMC, microcontrollers, IO peripherals, and sensors. You will lead technical initiatives, mentor engineers, and collaborate across teams to define requirements, architect solutions, and resolve complex issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and develop firmware components including device drivers, hardware abstraction layers, diagnostics, and manufacturing test software.
• Lead technical efforts in BIOS and BMC development, ensuring robust integration with microcontrollers and IO subsystems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (hardware, systems, validation, manufacturing) to define technical requirements and troubleshoot system-level issues.
• Design and maintain automation infrastructure for testing and validation.
• Design, develop, and debug BMC firmware for server platforms using C and C++
• Develop and maintain firmware components including device drivers, diagnostics, and hardware abstraction layers.
• Design and implement software in Python, Golang, and Shell for embedded platforms.
• Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions, and process improvements.
• Support network device integration (PHYs, NICs, Ethernet switches) and protocol-level debugging.
• Ensure compliance with security standards, including Platform Firmware Resilience (PFR) and Platform Root of Trust (PRoT)
• Guide and mentor engineers in best practices for embedded software development and test automation.
• Drive continuous improvement in development processes, tooling, and engineering standards.

Required Skills

• Strong experience with embedded firmware development and system bring-up.
• In-depth knowledge of BMC CPU architectures (e.g., ARM, RISC-V, or similar).
• Familiarity with the OpenBMC software stack, including build processes, configuration, and customization.
• Proficiency in Python and Bash; experience with Pytest and modern automation frameworks.
• Working knowledge of communication protocols: I2C/I3C, SPI, UART, USB, PCIe.
• Familiarity with network devices such as PHYs, NICs, and Ethernet switches is a plus.
• Experience with Linux, container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Excellent debugging and traffic analysis skills (e.g., tcpdump, Wireshark).
• Strong proficiency in C and C++ programming for embedded systems.
• Understanding of system-level debugging tools and techniques (e.g., JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers).
• Knowledge of Platform Firmware Resilience (PFR) and Platform Root of Trust (PRoT) security frameworks is preferred.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to lead and collaborate effectively.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in firmware/software development.

Proven track record of leading technical projects and mentoring engineers.

The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all-inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change.

Please note that F5 only contacts candidates through F5 email address (ending with ) or auto email notification from Workday (ending with or ).

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is the policy of F5 to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, sensory, physical, or mental disability, marital status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, discipline, and termination.  F5 offers a variety of reasonable accommodations for candidates. Requesting an accommodation is completely voluntary. F5 will assess the need for accommodations in the application process separately from those that may be needed to perform the job. Request by contacting