Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Engineer

applied; Fort Walton Beach (FL); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, is seeking an experienced engineer to manage and maintain Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) rigs. This role involves developing, integrating, and deploying real-time simulation solutions while collaborating closely with users to gather feedback.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience with hardware systems, strong Linux skills, and the ability to troubleshoot complex integration issues. The company supports a flexible work environment while primarily maintaining an in-office presence.

Qualifications

• Experience deploying and maintaining complex hardware systems on ARM and x86 architectures.
• Proficient in Linux environments and troubleshooting.
• Strong understanding of IP networking.

Responsibilities

• Manage and scale HIL rigs.
• Integrate and deploy HIL solutions.
• Develop automation scripts for health-checking HIL fleet.
• Troubleshoot hardware-software integration issues.

Skills

Extensive experience deploying hardware systems

Strong proficiency in Linux

Excellent networking skills

Hands-on hardware debugging capabilities

Understanding of embedded communication interfaces

Experience writing automation scripts

Experience with CI/CD pipelines

Sense of ownership in cross-functional teams

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Multimeters

Job description

We are an in‑office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced engineer to manage and maintain our fleet of Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) rigs. You will help develop, integrate and deploy real‑time Hardware-In-the-Loop simulation solutions. At Applied, we encourage all engineers to take ownership over technical and product decisions, closely interact with users to collect feedback, and contribute to a thoughtful, dynamic team culture.

At Applied, you will:

• Manage and scale our growing fleet of HIL rigs that have diverse requirements and run on both ARM and x86 architectures.
• Integrate, test, deploy, and maintain HIL solutions that involve third‑party hardware, specifically focusing on Group 1‑3 sUAS platforms and companion computers.
• Design, build, and integrate Applied’s simulators with HIL hardware and flight stack software (e.g., ArduPilot, PX4) to solve for our customers’ autonomous validation use‑cases.
• Configure, flash, and manage firmware across various flight controllers (like Pixhawk) and auxiliary hardware for automated testing.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts (Python, Bash) for system provisioning, health‑checking, and monitoring of the HIL fleet.
• Design custom wiring harnesses or interface boards to bridge flight controllers, sensors, networking equipment, and simulation hosts.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex hardware‑software integration issues, including timing constraints, MAVLink latency, and serial communication faults.
• Collaborate closely with embedded software and simulation teams to ensure high‑fidelity sensor data and flight dynamics translate accurately to the physical hardware.

We're looking for someone who has:

• Extensive experience deploying, managing, and maintaining complex hardware systems on both ARM and x86 architectures.
• Strong proficiency in Linux environments, utilizing the command line for system configuration, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
• Excellent networking skills, including a deep understanding of IP networking (TCP/UDP, routing, subnets) and experience diagnosing network bottlenecks in real‑time environments.
• Deep, hands‑on hardware debugging capabilities using standard lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and multimeters.
• A solid understanding of standard embedded communication interfaces (UART, I2C, SPI, CAN) commonly used in sUAS hardware.
• Experience writing robust automation, testing, and infrastructure scripts in Python or Bash.
• Experience building or maintaining Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines that interact directly with hardware test benches.
• A strong sense of ownership and the ability to work cross‑functionally to drive ambiguous hardware/software integration problems to resolution.

Nice to have:

• Hands‑on experience with Group 1‑3 sUAS (small Unmanned Aircraft Systems) hardware and flight controllers, particularly Pixhawk.
• Familiarity with configuring, debugging, and integrating open‑source flight stack software such as ArduPilot and PX4.
• Working knowledge of communication protocols commonly used in autonomous vehicles (e.g., MAVLink) and common robotics middlewares such as ROS, ROS 2, or DDS.
• Experience developing applications for Real‑time Operating Systems (RTOS) such as RT‑Linux or NuttX (commonly used with PX4).

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently, the parties agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60‑1.4(a), 41 CFR 60‑300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60‑741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that, as applicable, they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471, Appendix A to Subpart A), relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.