Your Job
Molex is seeking a highly experienced Senior Principal Firmware Engineer to lead the architecture, design, and implementation of advanced embedded firmware for next-generation PAM4 and Coherent optical transceivers. This role is critical to driving the innovation of ultra-high-speed optical interconnects that enable hyperscale data centers, AI/ML clusters, and next-gen telecom networks. The ideal candidate will combine deep expertise in firmware/embedded systems, high-speed communications protocols, and hardware/software co-design, with strong leadership skills to mentor engineers and influence cross-functional design teams. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in our organization and will have the opportunity to work in a collaborative and innovative engineering environment.
Some travel is required in this role.
What You Will Do
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the architecture, design, and development of embedded firmware for both PAM4-based pluggable transceivers (800G, 1.6T and beyond) and coherent optical modules.
- Collaborate closely with ASIC/DSP, hardware, optical, and system engineers to ensure seamless hardware/software integration.
- Drive board/module bring-up, system debug, and validation, including lab testing.
- Define and enforce firmware development best practices, including coding standards, unit testing, CI/CD, and system validation.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to firmware engineers, guiding architecture decisions and code reviews.
- Stay at the forefront of industry standards and influence product roadmaps.
Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)
- Qualifications
- Master's or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- 12+ years of embedded firmware/embedded systems development experience, with 5+ years in a principal or senior technical leadership role.
- Proven expertise in optical communications including:
- PAM4 signaling, SerDes architectures, FEC, DSP calibration, and link adaptation.
- Coherent DSPs, modulation formats (QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM), carrier recovery, and polarization demux algorithms.
- Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems, with experience in RTOS, bare-metal development, and hardware drivers.
- Hands-on experience with MDIO, I²C, SPI, PCIe, and Ethernet/OTN control protocols.
- Demonstrated expertise in hardware bring-up, system validation, and high-speed debug.
- Ability to drive firmware architecture decisions and lead cross-functional technical execution.
What Will Put You Ahead
Bulleted list of preferred qualifications; Optional section
At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.
Who We Are
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At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.
Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.
