Embedded Software Engineer

The Embedded Software Engineer will develop and maintain software and firmware for the White Rabbit Switch, including its Linux-based operating system. The role involves hardware bring-up, debugging, testing, and collaboration with hardware/software teams and external partners to design the next generation of the WR switch.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain software and firmware for the WR Switch, including its Linux-based operating system.
• Participate in bringing up and debugging new hardware versions.
• Maintain git repositories.
• Develop, maintain and perform WR Switch tests, including hardware in Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines, performance and compliance tests.
• Assist in the development of production tests to be conducted post-hardware manufacturing.
• Collaborate with colleagues in the hardware/software co-design process, including HDL, firmware, Linux device drivers and host applications development and review.
• Collaborate with external companies, universities and public institutes.
• Ensure thorough and up-to-date documentation is in place.
• Prepare firmware release.

Requirements

• You are a national of a CERN Member State or Associate Member State (excluding Pakistani and Lithuanian nationals for 2026 start date).
• By the application deadline, you have a master’s degree with 2 to 6 years of professional experience since graduation or a PhD with a maximum of 3 years of professional experience since graduation.
• You are not eligible with only a bachelor’s degree.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.
• Development of embedded Linux software and bare-metal firmware.
• Working with an embedded Linux distribution running on SoC of AMD/Xilinx FPGAs.
• Performance and/or compliance testing using dedicated instrumentation.
• Debugging of hardware.
• Low-level programming in C, including bare-metal skills are required.
• Knowledge in embedded Linux and Linux Device drivers is required.
• Proficiency in git-based development, code reviews, merge requests and CI pipelines is required.
• Proficiency in Python is required.
• Knowledge in testing frameworks, PyTest is advantageous.
• Basics of FPGA development (VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog) are advantageous.
• Capability of understanding PCB schematics is an advantage.
• Knowledge in networking and synchronisation protocols (e.g. NTP, PTP) is advantageous.
• Spoken and written English, with a commitment to learn French.

Skills

• Embedded Linux Development
• Bare-metal Firmware Programming
• SoC Development
• FPGA Development Basics
• Hardware Debugging
• Low-level C Programming
• Linux device drivers
• Performance Testing
• Compliance Testing
• Instrumentation Usage
• Git-based Development
• Code Reviews
• Merge Requests
• CI Pipelines
• Python Programming
• Testing Frameworks
• PyTest
• PCB Schematic Understanding
• Networking Protocols
• Synchronization Protocols

Languages

English, French