Senior Staff Engineer - Platform

Why join Upscale AI

Upscale AI is building the high-performance infrastructure powering the next generation of artificial intelligence. Backed by over $300M in funding and rapid global adoption, we are scaling systems designed for the world’s most demanding AI workloads.

We focus on first-principles engineering across silicon, systems, and networking—where performance, scale, and execution are critical. Our team is talent-dense and high-performing. We value ownership, technical rigor, and speed, and we offer the opportunity to work on foundational problems with immediate, real-world impact.

If you’re looking to do high-impact work, move fast, and help define the infrastructure behind the future of AI—Upscale AI is where you can produce meaningful work at the frontier—and operate at a high standard.

Position Overview

This is a full-time, on-site role for a Senior Staff Platform Engineer located in Santa Clara, CA. The engineer will own end-to-end platform software development—spanning Board Support Packages (BSP), network operating systems (SONiC, FBOSS), baseboard management controller firmware (OpenBMC), and hardware diagnostic software for both platform-level and ASIC-level validation. The ideal candidate combines deep embedded systems expertise with systems-level thinking, bridging hardware and software to deliver production-grade infrastructure at scale.

This role spans both x86 and ARM architectures and demands fluency across the full stack—from low-level firmware and device drivers to user-space services, telemetry frameworks, and diagnostic tooling.

Responsibility

Platform software Design and Development: Architect and develop Linux BSP, platform drivers, and user-space services for SONiC (x86), FBOSS (x86), and OpenBMC (ARM) platforms—covering kernel/device-tree configuration, bootloader integration, DMTF-based manageability (MCTP, PLDM, Redfish), and peripheral drivers (I2C, SPI, PCIe, GPIO). Design embedded diagnostic firmware in C/C++ for hardware bring-up, manufacturing validation, and health monitoring. Develop ASIC-level tests (memory, SerDes, datapath) and platform-level diagnostic suites (PCIe, power rail, thermal, transceiver), integrating diagnostics into manufacturing flows and field RMA processes. Contribute to relevant open-source communities.

System Performance Analysis and Troubleshooting: Use structured debug methodologies and hardware tools (JTAG, logic analyzers) to isolate hardware vs. software failures and drive root-cause resolution. Profile and optimize platform software for boot time, latency, and resource utilization.

Hardware and Software Testing and Validation: Plan and execute HW/SW validation campaigns with defined pass/fail criteria. Build automated test infrastructure in Python and Bash for orchestration, log parsing, and CI/CD integration. Instrument code for coverage and maintain quality metrics.

Diagnostic Tools and Methodologies Development: Build scripts and utilities (Python, Bash) for faster debug, capture, and repeatable runs; standardize trace/result workflows; and hook into validation pipelines and internal tooling as programs scale.

Collaboration with Cross-Functional Teams: Partner with hardware, firmware/software, validation, and program teams on priorities, joint debug, and evolving diagnostic coverage for production-quality outcomes.

Ownership of Code Quality, Performance, and Reliability: Deliver maintainable code with solid tests, reviews, and engineering practice so platform,diagnostic firmware and related software meet performance and production standards.

Qualifications

• Strong analysis and hands-on troubleshooting on complex HW/SW systems.

• Proven testing and validation of hardware and software for performance and reliability.

• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded and systems-level development; Python and Bash for automation, scripting, and tooling

• EE background: circuit design and system integration.

• Clear written and verbal communication across disciplines.

• Strong understanding of hardware interfaces and protocols: I2C, SPI, PCIe, UART, GPIO, MDIO, JTAG. Diagnostic tools and methodologies (plus).

• Bachelor’s or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

• 10+ years in platform, diagnostic embedded firmware development.