Staff MCU/RTOS Engineer

Axiado is building the future of AI powered digital infrastructure. We are a fast-growing, well funded silicon, systems, and solutions company pioneering a new category of semiconductor called the Trusted Control/Compute Unit (TCU) that combines advanced hardware security, AI driven resilience and efficiency, and real-time platform management. Our technology protects the world’s most critical infrastructure—from data centers to next generation cloud and AI platforms—by securing systems at the foundation levels of hardware, independent of host CPUs and operating systems. 

Founded in 2019 and now over 150 employees are strong, Axiado has evolved into a recognized leader in the convergence of AI, security, and silicon innovation. We partner with and are actively engaged in commercial programs with multiple Tier 1 industry leaders, validating both our technology and our long-term market trajectory. Axiado has also won numerous industry awards for our ground-breaking products and technological innovations, including being named one of Fast Company’s 2025 Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Security, winning the 2025 Global InfoSec Award for Outstanding AI Security Solution, and being named a finalist for the Global Semiconductor Alliance’s 2025 “Start-Up to Watch” award. 

At Axiado, developing breakthrough technology takes more than great engineering—it takes a team of exceptional people who collaborate boldly, challenge assumptions, and take pride in building what comes next. We value curiosity, execution, respect, and a shared desire to make a meaningful impact on the security and reliability of the digital world. 

If you’re driven to innovate, energized by hard problems, and excited to help define the future of secure AI infrastructure, we invite you to apply and join us on this journey. 

We are seeking a Senior MCU/RTOS Engineer to lead the development of our core execution environment. This role is responsible for the "Internal Plumbing" of our security processor—ensuring the RTOS is fast, stable, and hardened against common embedded vulnerabilities. You will work at the intersection of hardware and firmware, ensuring that our silicon’s security features are fully leveraged by the software stack.

Key Responsibilities:

• RTOS Architecture: Design and implement the real-time execution environment (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or custom kernels) to handle multi-threaded security tasks.
• Security-Aware Driver Development: Develop low-level drivers (DMA, SPI, I2C, Mailbox) with a focus on input validation and memory isolation to prevent buffer overflows or unauthorized access.
• MPU Configuration: Design and maintain the Memory Protection Unit (MPU) configurations to enforce strict process isolation and prevent code execution in data regions.
• IPC Stability: Optimize the Inter-Processor Communication (IPC) between the MCU and the x86 Host/BMC, ensuring high throughput without compromising the security boundary.
• Firmware Hardening: Apply "Secure Coding" practices (such as MISRA-C) and participate in threat modeling to identify potential architectural weaknesses in the firmware.

• Experience: 8+ years in MCU-level C programming (ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V, or similar).
• RTOS Mastery: Deep understanding of context switching, interrupt handling, mutexes, and real-time scheduling.
• Security Concepts: Strong foundational knowledge of Secure Boot, Chain of Trust, and Memory Isolation (MPU/MMU).
• Debugging: Proficiency with JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, and GDB for deep-system debugging.
• Hardware Interface: Practical experience with high-speed serial protocols and an understanding of how hardware-based crypto-accelerators interact with firmware.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with NIST SP 800-193 (PFR) and OCP security standards.
• Familiarity with side-channel attack mitigations and fault injection protection.
• Previous experience in a "Tiger Team" environment preparing for major industry events.

Additional Information

Axiado is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining the highest caliber talent in a diverse and multifaceted environment. We are headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, with access to the world's leading research, technology and talent.

We are building an exceptional team to secure every node on the internet. For us, solving real-world problems takes precedence over purely theoretical problems. As a result, we prefer individuals with persistence, intelligence and high curiosity over pedigree alone. Working hard and smart, continuous learning and mutual support are all part of who we are.

Axiado is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Axiado does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.