Flash Layer Firmware Engineer (m/f/d)

Shape the future with us! Swissbit is the leading European manufacturer of storage and security solutions for industrial and IoT applications designing its own ASICs, controllers, and firmware in Konstanz. Our products run in environments where commercial storage fails: extreme temperatures, high endurance demands, and decades-long lifecycle requirements. The flash layer is the foundation every reliability guarantee we make rests on. We are looking for a Flash Layer Firmware Engineer (m/f/d) to own the raw NAND interface and device abstraction layer at the base of our controller firmware stack. This means ONFI/Toggle protocol implementation, new flash part bring-up, device characterization, and maintaining the HAL that isolates the rest of the firmware from vendor-specific silicon behaviour. The FTL (flash translation layer) is a consumer of your work, not your primary concern. And if you’d like to bring additional talent on board right away, we’d be happy to integrate you and your team—primarily at our Dresden location. Dresden is a new location for us, but we see excellent opportunities there to further expand our networked development activities. The proximity to our development and production site in Berlin is an added advantage.

• Implement and maintain NAND flash interface firmware for ONFI 4.x/5.x and Toggle Mode (JEDEC) - command set, timing calibration, and multi-die/multi-plane operation

• Lead bring-up of new flash vendors and generations from pre-release datasheet through production qualification, including work on FPGA-based prototyping platforms

• Characterize flash device behaviour: Vth distributions, read/program/erase disturb, retention, inter-cell interference, and how these evolve across P/E cycles and temperature

• Develop and tune read-level calibration and read retry strategies at the flash layer; feed raw BER and soft-information inputs to the ECC subsystem

• Document vendor-specific behaviours and errata for the wider team

• Debug flash-layer issues with logic analyzers and protocol capture; support reliability qualification (JESD47/218) and DVT/PVT validation

• Degree in engineering in computer science or a related field (BSC, MSC or equivalent)

• You are open-minded and enjoy working in a team

• Strong embedded C firmware experience at the hardware interface level

• Deep knowledge of NAND flash architecture and cell physics (floating gate, charge trap); ONFI or Toggle Mode protocol experience at register and timing level

• Hands-on bring-up or characterization experience with at least one real flash technology generation (SLC, pSLC, MLC, TLC, or QLC)

• Understanding of NAND reliability mechanisms: disturb, retention, Vth shift, and inter-cell interference

• Python scripting for test automation and characterization data analysis

• Experience with multiple vendors (Micron, Samsung, Kioxia, SK Hynix, WDC) and awareness of how they differ in practice is a strong plus

• Good English communication skills; German is a plus

• A team that sticks together instead of just working together

• Room for your ideas - we like people who think on their feet

• Do you want to develop yourself further? We're happy to talk about it

• Corporate benefits (such as Hansefit, Jobrad and Pluxee)

• Working in the expanding data storage market

• Well-equipped work infrastructure with state-of-the-art EDA tools

• Flexibility that fits into your everyday life - with flextime and room for personal planning