Senior/ Staff Applications Engineer - Ethernet Platform

MaxLinear is seeking an experienced Applications Engineer Ethernet. The candidate filling this position will be an experienced engineer with extensive knowledge of networking L2/L3 protocols, switch applications, Ethernet PHY technologies, and system-level networking solutions for Fast/Gigabit/Multi-Giga Ethernet.  In this role, you will leverage your technical expertise, communication skills, and customer-facing experience while working closely with FAEs, customers, and R&D teams, focusing on the following:  

• Understanding of Networking L2/L3 protocols and maintenance experience on embedded SoC platforms with integrated Ethernet switch and PHY solutions
• Familiar with Linux and RTOS system integration and networking software package deployment
• Perform switch and Ethernet software package customization, BSP modifications, and PHY firmware integration to meet system requirements
• Maintain, validate, and debug Ethernet PHY firmware, including interoperability testing, issue reproduction, and customer support activities
• Develop validation plans, test cases, and regression testing for switch and PHY functionality
• Analyze and debug customer issues involving PHY, MAC, switch, and SoC interactions in close collaboration with worldwide expert teams
• Generate and review product collateral, software support packages, customer documentation, release notes, and tool user guides
• Work with Engineering and R&D teams to improve firmware quality, product reliability, interoperability, and overall customer experience
• Provide product and technical training to worldwide FAE teams
• Provide on-site support for customer boards and system bring-up as required

• BS in Electrical Engineering or related + 7 years of experience, or MS + 5 years of experience
• Extensive knowledge of Ethernet technologies at the system and application level. PTP/IEEE 1588 knowledge is a plus
• Experience and proven track record in switch application development, driver development, API enhancement, or Ethernet software customization
• Experience with Ethernet PHY firmware maintenance, validation, debugging, and customer issue resolution
• Familiar with PHY architecture, MDIO/MMD register access, firmware release management, and interoperability testing
• Knowledge of Ethernet protocol stacks, networking applications, IEEE 802.3 standards, and Ethernet PHY features including Auto-Negotiation, EEE, PTP, and cable diagnostics
• Strong hands-on experience in platform bring-up and debugging of Ethernet applications on embedded systems
• Strong hands-on experience debugging PHY, MAC, switch, and SoC integration issues on Linux and RTOS platforms
• Experience working with R&D teams on firmware defect analysis, root-cause investigation, validation, and continuous quality improvement

MaxLinear is a global, NASDAQ-traded company (MXL) where the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. We are a fabless system-on-chip product company, striving to improve the world’s communication networks for everyone through our highly integrated radio-frequency (RF), analog, digital, and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions for access and connectivity, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multi-market applications.

We hire the best people in the industry and engage them in some of the most exciting opportunities that connect the world we live in today. Our growth has come from innovative, bold approaches to solving some of the world’s most challenging communication technology problems in the most efficient and effective manner.

MaxLinear began by developing the world’s first high-performance TV tuner chip using standard CMOS process technology. Others said we couldn’t achieve the extremely high-performance requirements using CMOS, but we proved them wrong and achieved enduring global market leadership with our designs. Since then, we’ve developed a full line of products that drive 4G and 5G infrastructure; enable data center, metro and long-haul optical interconnects; bring 10Gbit to the home; power the IoT revolution; and enable robust and reliable communication in harsh industrial environments. Over the years, we’ve expanded through organic growth and through several acquisitions that have perfectly complemented our existing portfolio and enabled us to deliver complete end-to-end solutions in our target markets. One such example was the acquisition of Intel’s Home Gateway Platform Division that added Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Broadband Gateway Processor SoC technology to our connected home portfolio creating a complete and scalable platform of connectivity and access solutions to fully address our customers’ needs.

Our headquarters are in Carlsbad, near San Diego, California. We also have major design centers in Irvine and San Jose, California; Valencia, Spain; Bangalore, India; Munich, Germany; Israel; and Singapore.

We have approximately 1,200 employees, a substantial majority of whom have engineering degrees and include masters and Ph.D. graduates from many of the premiere universities around the world. Our employees thrive on innovation, outstanding execution, outside-the-box thinking, nimbleness, and collaboration. Together, we form a high-energy business team that is focused on building the best and most innovative products on the market.