Sr. Staff Embedded Software Engineer - Security

Company Overview 

Ambiq's mission is to enable intelligence everywhere by delivering the lowest power semiconductor solutions. Ambiq is a pioneer and a leading provider of ultra-low-power semiconductor solutions based on our proprietary and patented sub- and near-threshold technologies. With the increasing power requirements of artificial intelligence (AI) computing, our customers are relying on our solutions to deliver AI to edge environments. Our hardware and software innovations fundamentally deliver a multi-fold improvement in power consumption over traditional semiconductor designs without expensive process geometry scaling. We began in 2010 by addressing the power consumption challenges of battery-powered devices at the edge, where they were most pronounced. As of the beginning of 2025, we've shipped more than 280+ million units worldwide. 

Our innovative and fast-moving teams of design, research, development, production, marketing, sales, and operations are spread across several continents, including the US (Austin), Taiwan (Hsinchu), China (Shanghai and Shenzhen), and Singapore. We value relentless technology innovation, a deep commitment to customer success, collaborative problem-solving, and an enthusiastic pursuit of energy efficiency. We embrace candidates who also share these same values. The successful candidate must be self-motivated, creative, and comfortable learning and driving exciting new technologies. We encourage and nurture an environment that fosters growth and opportunities to work on complex, meaningful, and challenging projects, creating a lasting impact and shaping the future of technology. Join us on our quest for enabling billions of intelligent devices. The intelligence everywhere revolution starts here. 

This role will be on-site 5 days a week in NW Austin.

Scope

As a member of the team at Ambiq, an Sr. Staff Embedded Software Engineer (Security),  will provide technical and team leadership in extending and supporting Ambiq’s Secure Bootrom/Bootloader and SDK for the Apollo SoC and emulation platforms.

This role will work within our global MCU software development team, closely with the architecture team and local MCU SoC design teams, focusing on MCU software development and testing.

A successful candidate should be team-oriented, fast-learning, result-driven, and self-motivated with an “always learning” mindset. He/She will have an inquiring spirit and be comfortable in a lab environment, working hands-on with bare metal hardware and debugging tools for embedded systems.

The candidate will be involved in maintaining and extending the Secure Boot ROM, Secure Bootloader, and security aspects of the SDK for Ambiq MCU products from concept through release.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership within the MCU Software team. Lead the technical planning, work assignments, and implementation for the new products and new features to be implemented by the MCU software team.


• As the team scales, there's a potential path to managing a small to mid-size team. The candidate is someone who's excited to grow into a player-coach role over time.


• Work with the teams, e.g., Design, Architecture, Verification, and Applications, to define and implement new security features from design to production.


• Participate in testing and verification of pre-silicon (via FPGA emulation), and post-silicon (first Silicon), and debug of issues found, focusing on Secure Bootrom and Bootloader and the hardware features supporting them.


• Integration and Testing of runtime cryptographic operations utilizing the embedded hardware accelerators.


• Work closely with the SQA and System Test team to help define and implement test cases for security deliverables to ensure full coverage.


• Work with other team members to implement the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and board support package (BSP) of the SDK.

Qualifications

• BS/MS (EE, CE, or CS) with 10+ years of embedded projects utilizing both bare metal and RTOS systems/real-time environments.


• 3+ years of team management experience preferred


• Expert-level proficiency in C, with C++ and object-oriented extensions.


• Embedded Expertise: Strong knowledge of ARM architectures, RTOS, and low-level drivers (I2C, SPI, UART).


• Security Expertise: Experience with Secure Boot, PKI, encryption (AES, RSA, ECC), and embedded security (TrustZone, CryptoCell).


• Experience: Bachelor’s or Master's in CS/EE with 5+ years of relevant embedded security experience.


• Familiarity with debuggers (JTAG, Saleae), Git, and scripting languages (Python, Bash).


• Understanding of security implications for the embedded systems, and familiarity with IoT security concepts (TrustZone, CryptoCell, and secure boot)


• Strong proficiency in Python


• Use of gcc and Arm compilers and MCU IDEs from ARM, Keil, IAR, Eclipse or others


• Excellent problem-solving skills dealing with issues related to HW/SW debug, FPGA/Silicon testing


• Technical Leadership of projects utilizing CI/CD development and automated testing principles.


• Strong documentation skills, mentorship of junior engineers, and ability to work in cross-functional teams. 

**Must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer. We do not sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas (now or in the future) for this role.

What You Need 

We're seeking passionate technologists who thrive on pushing boundaries, solving complex challenges, and driving transformative solutions. 

At Ambiq, you'll collaborate with a dynamic team that values relentless innovation, customer-centric thinking, and continuous learning. If you're a self-motivated, creative problem-solver eager to push technological limits and make a meaningful impact in energy efficiency, this is your opportunity to grow, excel, and turn groundbreaking ideas into reality. 

Most importantly, the successful candidate will be able to live the Ambiq Shared Values: 

• Innovate: We tenaciously find ways to break down the barriers to possible solutions 


• Collaborate: We proactively communicate and encourage each other to be better. 


• Focus: We keep the voice of the customer at the center of everything we do. 


• Learn: We strive for continuous improvement and are always curious. 


• Achieve: We execute on quality and follow through on our commitments.