Senior Test Engineer, Nitro Embedded Firmware Validation, Annapurna Labs, Annapurna , Nitro System

DESCRIPTION

Are you passionate about ensuring the quality of embedded firmware that powers millions of cloud instances worldwide? Annapurna Labs, an Amazon company, develops the Nitro card — a dedicated hardware component with powerful processing capabilities and specialized ASICs that operates independently from the main system board running customer compute environments. Each Nitro card runs multiple layers of embedded firmware, from real-time microcontroller management processors to SoC-level boot and runtime software, all of which must meet the highest reliability and security standards before reaching production.

As a Software Development Engineer in Test on our team, you will own the quality of Nitro card embedded software and firmware. You will design, develop, and maintain test automation for embedded systems and components, covering hardware interface verification, real-time firmware behavior validation, firmware update integrity, and fleet-scale deployment confidence. You will collaborate closely with firmware development teams to troubleshoot complex system-level problems at the hardware-software boundary and ensure timely delivery of high-quality Nitro card software to AWS Cloud solutions.

Key job responsibilities

Own the firmware test automation framework — architect, develop, and extend a Python-based validation solution that scales across multiple Nitro card generations and hardware platforms, automating test coverage across the full firmware stack from boot sequences through board management layers and card-level system integration
Design and implement traceable, specification-driven test cases that validate firmware functional correctness, fault tolerance, and performance across hardware components, communication interfaces, and cross-subsystem interactions
Optimize CI/CD pipelines by integrating pre-merge and post-merge firmware validation, defining trigger policies per hardware generation, enforcing coding-standard compliance, and reducing commit-to-validated cycle time
Troubleshoot complex embedded system failures by analyzing firmware logs, system traces, and hardware diagnostics, then translate field incidents into targeted regression suites that prevent recurrence
Collaborate with firmware and hardware teams during new-generation silicon bring-up, define test plans, drive quality gates for production release, and mentor teammates on testing best practices and system architecture

A day in the life

You start your morning reviewing overnight CI results and triaging any firmware validation failures flagged across active Nitro card generations. Mid-morning, you pair with a firmware engineer to debug a boot-sequence regression discovered during pre-merge testing, using hardware-in-the-loop test benches and system traces. After lunch, you join a design review for a next-generation Nitro card, providing input on testability and proposing validation strategies for new subsystem interfaces. Later, you refine your test framework to improve coverage for a recently released feature, then wrap up by sharing your findings in a team knowledge-sharing session.

About the team

Our team within Annapurna Labs is focused on ensuring the quality and reliability of Nitro card embedded firmware that underpins AWS compute infrastructure. We work at the intersection of hardware and software, partnering closely with firmware engineers, silicon validation teams, and cloud deployment groups. Our mission is to catch issues early and build confidence in every firmware release before it reaches production at scale.

We value collaboration, continuous learning, and thoughtful engineering. Whether you are automating a new test suite or debugging a complex hardware-software interaction, you will have the opportunity to grow your skills and make a meaningful impact on the systems that power AWS.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

B.Sc. or M.Sc. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
5+ years of experience in embedded-systems testing, firmware validation, or hardware-software integration testing
Strong proficiency in Python for test automation (pytest frameworks, test infrastructure design, tooling development)
Deep understanding of embedded communication protocols (I2C/SMBus, SPI, UART) and register-level hardware interfaces
Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins or equivalent) for firmware build and test automation
Strong debugging skills across embedded software and firmware systems — proficient in analyzing firmware runtime behavior, system logs, trace outputs, and hardware diagnostics to isolate and resolve issues spanning multiple firmware layers and hardware interfaces
Familiarity with Linux-based embedded systems
Experience with post-silicon / new-generation hardware validation and bring-up activities, including working with pre-silicon environments such as virtual platforms (VP), and emulation (EMU) for early firmware validation

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience with ARM-based microcontrollers or SoCs

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