Software Design Engineer 4 - Firmware Security & Compiler Platform

We are seeking a Software Design Engineer to join the Azure Hardware Security team in building and scaling Project Talonera—a next-generation firmware security analysis platform. This role operates at the cutting edge of compiler engineering, automated fuzzing, and AI-assisted vulnerability discovery to secure hardware and firmware ecosystems at scale. You will help build production-grade analysis pipelines and prepare the platform for public open-source adoption.

Location: Redmond, Washington
Job type: Contract
Work hours: 8am to 5pm

Responsibilities

• Design and build compiler preprocessing pipelines that transform C/C++ firmware into LLVM Intermediate Representation (IR) for off-target analysis.
• Develop and execute scalable fuzzing campaigns using frameworks like libFuzzer, AFL, or AFL++, integrating AI-driven code classification.
• Engineer automated crash triage and static analysis workflows (e.g., CodeQL) to rapidly identify and deduplicate root-cause vulnerabilities.
• Drive open-source readiness by improving modularity, test coverage, CI/CD automation, and developer onboarding documentation.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience in C/C++ low-level systems programming.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with compiler technologies, LLVM IR, or compiler pass development.
• 3+ years of experience with automated fuzzing frameworks (libFuzzer, AFL/AFL++) and software security vulnerability analysis.
• Proficiency in Python for build scripting, automation, and tooling integration.

Pay

$71.29 - 81.29 per hour

Benefits

• Medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance
• AD&D and life insurance offerings
• Short-term disability
• 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility)