Principal Firmware Engineer at Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
$142,800–$274,800from the description
Jul 15, 2026
Redmond, WA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A principal-level firmware engineering role focused on BIOS/UEFI development for Microsoft's cloud hardware fleet. The work centers on driving security posture improvements, overseeing new hardware SKU development (including AI and high-memory compute), and defining vendor-agnostic firmware requirements in collaboration with silicon vendors, ODMs, and OEMs. Suits an experienced firmware engineer comfortable leading cross-functional technical efforts and managing product lifecycles at scale.
Senior level · 8+ years · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · Bachelor's required · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 2 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
Why we read it this way (7)
The role is titled 'Principal Firmware Engineer' (IC5 at Microsoft), but the required qualifications gate only on a Bachelor's degree plus 8+ years of general technical engineering experience — no specific firmware or BIOS/UEFI experience is hard-required. All firmware-specific skills (BIOS/UEFI, EDK2, BMC, C/C++/Python) appear exclusively under 'Preferred Qualifications' or 'Bonus Qualifications', so they are marked preferred.
BIOS/UEFI is listed under Preferred Qualifications but is so central to the role's described responsibilities that it is the closest thing to a hard gate; however, per the JD's section placement it remains preferred.
The 10+ years of software development experience with C/C++/C#/Python appears under 'Bonus Qualifications' — the most explicitly optional section — so it is marked preferred. The alternatives field captures the interchangeable language options listed.
The Microsoft Cloud Background Check is a post-hire screening requirement, not a security clearance gate in the traditional sense; the clearance requirement is set to None accordingly.
The posting lists two distinct US pay ranges: $142,800–$274,800 nationally and $188,000–$304,200 for the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City metro. The national range is reported here.
SOC classification is Medium confidence: firmware/BIOS engineering sits at the boundary between embedded software development (15-1252) and a specialized hardware/firmware occupation (15-1299); 15-1252 is chosen because the role primarily involves writing and delivering firmware software.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): firmware development.
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