Senior CPU Research & Kernel Engineer - HarmonyOS (Contractor) in Cambridge

Apply for the Senior CPU Research & Kernel Engineer – HarmonyOS (Contractor) role at Huawei Technologies Research & Development (UK) Ltd.

About Huawei Research & Development UK Limited

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices. With 207,000 employees worldwide, it operates in over 170 countries, serving more than three billion people. Huawei’s mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To achieve this, we drive ubiquitous connectivity, promote equal network access, bring cloud and AI to every corner of the globe, and build digital platforms that enable businesses to become more agile and efficient. Huawei collaborates closely with leading academic institutions in the UK to develop and refine cutting‑edge technologies. Over the past 30 years we have maintained a focus on practical, sustainable innovation, fostering partnerships that bring future technologies to life. Our core values include staying customer‑centric, inspiring dedication, persevering, and growing through reflection.

Key Responsibilities

• Research and develop CPU microarchitectural features optimized for the HarmonyOS kernel and framework, including ArkUI and ArkTS/JIT/AOT.
• Design, develop, and optimize core kernel subsystems for HarmonyOS, including scheduler, memory management, and I/O subsystems.
• Design hardware‑software co‑optimization techniques to improve kernel performance and efficiency for HarmonyOS framework components.
• Perform performance analysis and optimization of kernel components for mobile workloads and use cases.
• Optimize the kernel for power efficiency across CPU, SoC, and system‑level components.
• Develop simulation frameworks for kernel‑level and HarmonyOS framework workload evaluation on future CPU designs.
• Propose microarchitectural enhancements for system optimisation based on kernel profiling and characterization.
• Develop and implement power management policies and performance scaling strategies.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to optimise kernel interfaces and low‑level system integration.
• Participate in joint research projects with top UK universities and OS kernel communities.

Qualifications – Required

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or related discipline.
• Strong knowledge of computer architectures, operating system internals, and mobile SoC design.
• Extensive experience with Linux kernel development, including core subsystems such as scheduler, memory management, VFS, and networking.
• Strong programming skills in C, C++, assembly, and Python.
• Understanding of CPU privilege levels, MMU/IOMMU, and virtualization extensions.
• Experience with performance profiling and optimisation at both kernel and microarchitectural levels.
• Highly motivated, independent, and passionate about knowledge acquisition.

Qualifications – Desired

• Experience with Linux, OpenHarmony, Android, or other microkernels.
• Strong knowledge of ARM architecture, TrustZone, TEE, exception handling, and interrupt processing.
• Experience with kernel profiling tools such as perf, ftrace, eBPF, LTTng, and SystemTap.
• Knowledge of RISC‑V privilege specifications or ARM architecture reference manuals.
• Deep understanding of power management frameworks, DVFS, and CPU idle states.
• Experience with real‑time operating systems, PREEMPT_RT, or deterministic execution requirements.
• Experience with cycle‑accurate architectural simulators such as gem5, Sniper, or equivalents.
• Understanding of mobile platform power optimisation techniques and thermal management.
• Experience with hardware‑assisted virtualization and hypervisor design.
• Familiarity with Android kernel, AOSP, or other mobile OS kernel implementations.