Embedded Firmware Engineer

Leidos Inc; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 69,550 - 125,725; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking an Embedded Firmware Developer to design and develop firmware for aerospace and military systems, spanning FPGAs, microcontrollers, and mixed‑signal designs.

The role requires a BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering (ABET‑accredited) and 2+ years in embedded design, with C/C++ and HDL skills (VHDL/Verilog). Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible for a Final Secret or Secret clearance; based in North Alabama/Huntsville area.

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• 2+ years embedded system design and test experience (MS degree reduces this to <2 years).
• Experience with embedded targets (FPGA/SoC/microcontroller/RTOS/bare‑metal).
• Proven programming/hardware description language skills: C, C++, assembly; VHDL, Verilog.

Responsibilities

• Lead in a fast-paced environment across product lifecycle from concept to manufacturing and post‑delivery support.
• Architect, implement, and test embedded firmware/software on FPGAs, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and mixed‑signal designs.
• Collaborate with multi‑disciplinary teams to resolve technical issues during manufacture and test of deliverables.
• Perform/debug board‑level issue analysis, root cause assessment, and corrective action planning.
• Provide hands‑on lab work with instrumentation and test equipment.

Skills

C

C++

Assembly

RTOS

Education

ABET-accredited EE/CE degree

Tools

VHDL

Verilog

UART

Ethernet

SPI

I2C

CAN bus

Job description

Description

We are looking for an Embedded Firmware Developer to join Leidos Defense Systems Electrical Systems Department. The role focuses on designing and developing embedded firmware and software for aerospace and military systems, including FPGAs, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and mixed‑signal designs.

Primary Responsibilities

• Key technical leader in a fast‑paced environment.
• Responsible for all phases of the product life cycle from concept development and detailed design through manufacturing, qualification testing, and post‑delivery support.
• Responsible for architecting, implementing, and testing embedded firmware and software on a variety of platforms, including FPGAs, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and mixed‑signal designs.
• Additional skills such as communications data‑link design, digital‑signal processing (DSP) design, system design, experience with technical trade studies, and evaluation of technology improvements are a plus.
• Support resolution of technical issues that are discovered during the manufacture and test of deliverable products.
• Troubleshooting board‑level issues, assessing failures for root cause, and identifying corrective actions.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent degree from an ABET‑accredited institution.
• Candidate must have at least 2+ years of experience in embedded system design and test or less than 2 years with MS degree.
• Understand trade‑offs of embedded system targets (such as FPGA, SoC, microcontroller, RTOS, bare‑metal) for developing best cost/option architectures.
• Proven experience with programming and/or hardware description languages such as: C, C++, assembly.
• Experience with programming and/or hardware description languages such as: VHDL, Verilog.
• Experience with common communication protocols such as: UART, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, CAN bus, etc.
• Hands‑on laboratory experience with instrumentation, test equipment, and debug/test methods.
• Position requires candidates to be capable of performing in a collaborative engineering environment working closely with multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Candidate must be a resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville‑North Alabama, AL area.
• Candidate must be a U.S. Citizen and possess (and be able to maintain) a Final Secret Clearance or meet the eligibility to obtain (and maintain) a Secret Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Developing overall firmware/software architecture for embedded systems, including FPGAs and SoCs.
• Utilizing modern Xilinx FPGA and SoC families and design tools (Xilinx IP Cores, AXI4, AXI‑Stream).
• Firmware testing and verification (unit testing, testbenching, HWIL).
• RISC microprocessors architectures (ARM Cortex, Microblaze, PowerPC, RISC‑V).
• Memory architectures, types, and caching.
• GNU/Linux and development of kernel drivers.
• Embedded operating systems (Linux, VxWorks, Integrity, FreeRTOS, uC/OS‑II).
• Electronics and PCBA design.
• Experience implementing high speed interfaces (PCIe, Aurora, 100GbE, JESD204B).

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $69,550.00 - $125,725.00. The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

Commitment to Non‑Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.