Embedded FPGA Engineer for Real-World AI Systems

Mercor; Miami (FL); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking experienced Software and Firmware Engineers to support an advanced engineering and AI research initiative. You will work hands-on with real hardware, review FPGA/RTL designs, flight software, and test automation frameworks across the lifecycle.

You will bring 5+ years of experience in embedded systems, with strong C/C++, RTOS, Linux, drivers, and debugging skills. Opportunities span aerospace/defense, robotics, and industrial hardware, with remote collaboration options.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software, firmware, FPGA, or embedded systems engineering experience, including at least 3 years of hands-on work
• Responsible engineer for production hardware-connected software or firmware across lifecycle
• Deep expertise in embedded firmware/real-time systems; FPGA/RTL design/verification; flight software or hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Strong command of C/C++, Python, RTOS/bare-metal development, device drivers, bootloaders, embedded Linux, and hardware interfaces
• Extensive hands-on debugging of software-hardware interactions using JTAG/SWD, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, HIL/SIL, CI, and root-cause analysis
• Experience in real-world product or hardware manufacturing environments across aerospace/defense, space, automotive/EV, semiconductors, consumer electronics, robotics, or medical devices
• Familiarity with design’s hardware lifecycle and ability to explain architectural choices and test results

Responsibilities

• Apply hands-on software, firmware, and digital hardware expertise to complex engineering tasks with real physical systems
• Review and evaluate embedded firmware, FPGA/RTL designs, flight software, test automation frameworks, hardware interfaces, and system workflows
• Analyze architecture and trade-offs for real-time performance, timing, memory, compute, interfaces, reliability, and HW/SW integration
• Assess technical correctness, robustness, and feasibility of solutions for real-world embedded systems
• Identify implementation errors, race conditions, timing issues, interface failures, and resource constraints
• Develop or review rigorous engineering problems, reference implementations, test cases, and documentation
• Draw on experience with development, integration, hardware bring-up, debugging, verification, and deployment
• Provide clear technical feedback grounded in real-world hardware constraints

Skills

Embedded systems

Real-time systems

C/C++

Python

RTOS/bare-metal

Device drivers

Bootloaders

Embedded Linux

SPI/I2C/UART/CAN/Ethernet

Verilog/SystemVerilog/VHDL

FPGA toolchains

JTAG/SWD debugging

Tools

Verilog/SystemVerilog/VHDL

FPGA toolchains

JTAG/SWD

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

HIL/SIL

CI infrastructure

Embedded Linux

Job description

Mercor is seeking experienced Software and Firmware Engineers to support an advanced engineering and AI research initiative. You will work hands-on with real hardware, review FPGA/RTL designs, flight software, and test automation frameworks across the lifecycle.

You will bring 5+ years of experience in embedded systems, with strong C/C++, RTOS, Linux, drivers, and debugging skills. Opportunities span aerospace/defense, robotics, and industrial hardware, with remote collaboration options.