Sr. Staff Firmware Engineer (Embedded OTA & Uptane Security Platform)
About the role
We are looking for a Sr. Staff Firmware Engineer to architect the next-generation, on-device Over-the-Air (OTA) update framework for our Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) platform. This is a pure firmware role focusing on high availability, extreme durability, and uncompromising backend-to-device cryptographic security natively built on the Uptane standard.
Responsibilities
Uptane Architecture Ownership: Lead the on-device design and implementation of an automotive-grade Uptane client framework. Establish distinct software verification paths for high-performance Primary ECUs acting as security gateways and resource-constrained edge Secondary ECUs.
Compromise-Resilient Security: Implement and maintain Uptane’s multi-repository validation systems. Secure the in-vehicle delivery pipeline by requiring cryptographic verification from both an automated backend (Director repository) and a secure, offline-keyed asset vault (Image repository) to prevent key compromise and mix-and-match attacks.
Metadata Role Verification: Develop low-level firmware state machines to securely parse and validate Uptane-structured cryptographic payloads, verifying signatures and thresholds across separate organizational roles (Root, Timestamp, Snapshot, and Targets).
Qualifications
End-to-End Update Orchestration: Oversee complex vehicle-level software "bundles." Synchronize dependency tracking, resolve software compatibility matrices across multiple internal networks, and ensure atomic execution during the flashing cycle.
On-Device & Cloud Integration: Act as the core technical bridge to the Cloud/Infrastructure team. Co-design optimal edge-to-cloud interfaces, secure time-attestation protocols, vehicle version manifests, and custom Uptane transport layer profiles (POUFs).
Preferred Qualifications
High-Durability Partition & Memory Architecture: Optimize background payload streaming using asymmetric A/B slot update switching, dual-bank execution, and fast runtime validation fallback loops.
Bandwidth & Storage Optimization: Implement advanced on-device patching algorithms and delta-compression engines to maximize internal flash lifespan (eMMC, UFS, QSPI) and minimize bus bandwidth.
Deterministic Firmware Development: Write high-performance, safety-critical code using C for bare-metal systems, custom bootloaders, and RTOS kernels. Utilize Python exclusively for host-side tooling, secure payload wrapping.