Engineer II - Validation (Systems)

Microchip’s Data Center Solutions (DCS) Business Unit delivers industry-leading performance, reliability, and security through its portfolio of Storage Controllers, Memory Controllers, NVMe SSD Controllers, PCIe Switches, and SAS Expanders. These products are widely used in Cloud Storage, Compute Data Centers, and Storage Area Networks, supporting the backbone of modern data infrastructure.

As a System Validation Engineer, you will join a team of highly skilled system integrators responsible for the bring-up, integration, and validation of cutting-edge System on a Chip (SoC) products for the DCS Business Unit. In this role, you will design and build the infrastructure required to integrate and validate SoCs for their intended use models. This includes developing the entire prototype ecosystem, such as boards, FPGAs, firmware, software, and automation suites, and further integrating these environments with internally developed test equipment, protocol analyzers, exercisers, and x86-based hardware.

A key part of your responsibilities will be to develop comprehensive test plans by leveraging design specifications, marketing requirements, and newly drafted industry standards, including PCIe, CXL, DDR4/5, NVMe, SAS, SATA, and NAND flash. Using the validation infrastructure and these test plans, you will create and execute both pre- and post-silicon tests that thoroughly exercise the prototype SoC and embedded firmware, ensuring robust performance and reliability.

The primary skills required for this position include the ability to develop and integrate complex systems, as well as strong capabilities in testing, debugging, and problem-solving. On the job, you will gain an in-depth understanding of relevant protocol specifications, IP design, and SoC architecture, becoming adept at isolating issues and finding effective solutions. This role offers an excellent opportunity to expand your domain knowledge and become an expert in these advanced technology fields.

The validation work environment at Microchip encourages close collaboration with other groups, including design, firmware, pre-silicon emulation, verification, and applications teams. Additionally, there are prospects for job rotation or internal transfers, providing a dynamic and growth-oriented career path within the company.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Integrating prototype SOC HW and FW into a complete solution. This includes working with emulation platforms, proto ICs, validation boards, FW and SW to bring an entire system level solution to life and enable functional testing and FW development.

Develop, execute, and document a series of feature tests that will fully validate the operation of the SoC and its various functional HW blocks and FW to ensure all components and the overall SoC is functioning per design specs, achieves expected performance and meets industry requirements and standards.

Working with pre-silicon FGPA based emulation platforms and prototype (post-silicon) ICs/SOCs.

Building and maintaining validation infrastructure through the development of boards, FPGAs, embedded software, device drivers and test bench scripts.

Developing block, subsystem and system level test FW and scripts, and further integrating them in to best-in-class test automation suites.

Running tests and conducting investigations in a lab environment on-site and remotely.

Finding and reporting bugs. Working with cross expertise teams to isolate, investigate and solve them.

Learning and dynamically applying knowledge of the device, system, protocols and industry standards.

Effectively presenting technical information to small teams of engineers.

Leading technical activities in your area of expertise and mentoring junior engineers.

Helping grow and train the validation team.

Integrating AI-based tools to improve testing efficiency.

The role and responsibilities will grow with the individual candidate’s skills and interests.