Cisco Sr Software Engineer Firmware Security 

United States, North Carolina, Cary 

13397731

Your Impact

The HFST seeks an energetic, proactive firmware engineer to design, implement, test and support security features & solutions. This position provides an opportunity to grow and learn in the product development security space. We are seeking someone who has skills in firmware development, as well as experience working with embedded processor-based systems.

• Responsibilities are focused on the development and deployment of hardware and firmware-based security technologies that improve the trustworthiness of Cisco products
• This is a multifaceted role including development activities within the Hardware & Firmware Security team, applications engineering activities serving the product teams that are deploying security technologies, assessment of system architectures and components for security capabilities and/or vulnerabilities, and education to increase the security awareness of others.
• The successful candidate will need to be comfortable working in an environment with many concurrent activities and be able to prioritize and manage concurrent tasks.
• Since security threats are dynamic and constantly evolving, the role will also require ongoing education to improve security knowledge and awareness, investigation of new security threats and technologies to address them, as well as evaluation of security solutions.
• Designing, developing, documenting, and testing firmware as well as combined hardware and firmware-based security technologies applying CPU evaluation platforms and Cisco products.
• Assisting product teams deploying hardware and software security technologies.
• Developing documentation, proof of concepts, reference code, and scripts to facilitate adoption and verification of security technologies.
• Participating in, and contributing to, firmware architecture, design, specifications, and code reviews.

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S./M.S. in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
• Experience with the Rust programming language
• Experience with other programming languages including assembly, C/C++, Go, Python, Ruby or Javascript
• Experience with embedded CPU systems and architecture
• Experience with firmware/hardware debug and test in a lab environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Post Quantum Computing (PQC) standards, algorithms, and encryption techniques, with implementation experience in embedded products.
• Familiarity with CNSA1.0 and 2.0 standards, and LMS/XMSS.
• Ability to apply malware forensic analysis techniques and concepts to ensure advanced trustworthy product security features.
• Proactive, self-starting, and independent, with strong troubleshooting skills and a passion for problem-solving.
• Capable of working independently and collaborating with multi-functional teams, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• 5+ years of experience with firmware development and testing on embedded CPU systems, including development practices like code reviews, coding standards, source code management, and designing interfaces/APIs for customers.
• Experience with x86 and ARM CPUs and boot architecture.
• Proficiency with protocols/interfaces such as USB, JTAG, SPI, I2C, and Ethernet.
• Understanding of CPU operating modes, peripheral registers, memory utilization, and concepts.
• Knowledge of concurrency, data structures, error handling, profiling, and debugging.
• Experience with lab tools, evaluation boards, and board-level bring-up using firmware and hardware debug tools.