How to hire a principal firmware engineer

How to hire a principal firmware engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step principal firmware engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a principal firmware engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new principal firmware engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the principal firmware engineer you need to hire. Certain principal firmware engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A principal firmware engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, principal firmware engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of principal firmware engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Principal Firmware Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Principal Firmware Engineer	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$49-83
   Embedded Software Developer	An embedded software developer designs and develops software embedded into systems and devices. They are primarily in charge of writing codes that implement systems and solutions, ensuring the embedded software adheres to project goals and requirements... Show more	$32-56
   Systems Engineering Internship	In a systems engineering internship, an intern is primarily responsible for following a supervising officer or manager's directives. Most of an intern's tasks revolve around assisting engineers in installing and maintaining systems, troubleshooting, and even providing corrective measures... Show more	$12-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Python
   • Debugging
   • SSD
   • Linux
   • Software Development
   • Bluetooth
   • FPGA
   • SATA
   • SPI
   • RTOS
   • RF
   • Feature Development
   • Windows
   • FW

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide consultation to the ISO team in achieving certification, and enable company to win many more deals as a result.
   • Add DMA functionality to UART driver on THREADX RTOS.
   • Develop I2C bus data driver (write/read) for FPGA through parallel port (LPT1).
   • Optimize cache management on the base of ThreadX RTOS and ARMCC.
   • Create a full automate test suite using python to automatically test equipment.
   • Provide customer products support to WCDMA L1 issue analysis, debugging and fixing.

   More principal firmware engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your principal firmware engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A principal firmware engineer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, principal firmware engineers' average salary in missouri is 40% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level principal firmware engineers earn 41% less than senior-level principal firmware engineers.
   • Certifications. A principal firmware engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a principal firmware engineer's salary.

   Average principal firmware engineer salary

   $134,114yearly

   $64.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level principal firmware engineer salary

   $103,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average principal firmware engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$161,676	$78
   2	California	$153,858	$74
   3	Pennsylvania	$123,007	$59
   4	Arizona	$118,610	$57
   5	Massachusetts	$115,630	$56
   6	Maryland	$114,357	$55
   7	Colorado	$110,408	$53
   8	Minnesota	$110,029	$53
   9	Texas	$108,835	$52
   10	Georgia	$105,971	$51
   11	Indiana	$99,549	$48

   Average principal firmware engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Micron Technology	$148,571	$71.43	20
   2	GoPro	$146,118	$70.25
   3	Ampere	$143,883	$69.17
   4	OCZ Technology	$142,692	$68.60
   5	CyberCoders	$141,359	$67.96
   6	Renesas Electronics	$137,584	$66.15	10
   7	Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC	$137,016	$65.87
   8	Broadcom	$136,881	$65.81	40
   9	Cadence Design Systems	$136,235	$65.50	40
   10	Amd	$136,153	$65.46	30
   11	Microsemi	$136,091	$65.43
   12	PDS Tech	$135,895	$65.33	2
   13	Energous	$135,867	$65.32
   14	Proteus Digital Health Inc	$135,867	$65.32
   15	Advance Green Energy	$135,867	$65.32
   16	Views	$135,867	$65.32
   17	SMART Modular Technologies	$134,679	$64.75
   18	Hubbell	$134,302	$64.57
   19	Skyworks Solutions	$132,892	$63.89	6
   20	Crestron Electronics	$132,788	$63.84	1

4. Writing a principal firmware engineer job description

   A good principal firmware engineer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a principal firmware engineer job description:

   Principal firmware engineer job description example

   ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   Participate in the design, implementation, validation and deployment of Manufacturing Host Application features and test modules in support of HDD Product Staging development
   
   Participate in the design, implementation, validation and deployment of Manufacturing F/W Infrastructure features and test modules in support of HDD Product Staging development
   
   Participate with Research and System Architect teams in the design, development and deployment of Advanced Test Algorithms to support new HDD technologies
   
   Participate in the development of BE Test Process Requirements to support new technology to represent the BE Process interests in terms of abstraction, portability, ease of sustaining, commonality across multiple drive programs with the same technology, etc.
   
   Work with Swimlane team members in the integration of new feature / test modules into the initial drive program targeted
   
   Participate in the design, implementation, validation and deployment of the BE Process Manufacturing Host software in the support of existing and new test platforms
   
   Participate in the design, implementation, validation and deployment of the Continuous Integration Validation process and infrastructure in support of HDD Software and Firmware development
   
   Provide mentoring of more junior team members, Swimlane team members or a consultant in the BE Test Process Logistics, Manufacturing Host Software or Firmware architecture and infrastructure
   
   Opportunity to lead a small team in the design, implementation, validation and deployment of small-scale features / sub projects
   
   Perform regular review of current BE Process structure and features to identify potential opportunities to improve the BE Process efficiency and future needs Adhere to formally developed BE Process Defensive Programming Procedures being practiced by all members of Test Process Engineering's software developers
   
   Adhere to formally developed Drive and Manufacturing Firmware development guidelines as endorsed by the WD Firmware Quality organization
   
   Apply SAFe Software and Firmware development methodology. Possible assignment as SAFe process Scrum Master or Product Owner
   
   Adhere to corporate and departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines for conducting business in accordance with Corporate standards.
   
   Uphold corporate ethics standards as described in the Western Digital Code of Conduct handbook for U.S. Employees
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find principal firmware engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your principal firmware engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality principal firmware engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit principal firmware engineers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview principal firmware engineer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new principal firmware engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the principal firmware engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new principal firmware engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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