Multidisciplinary Systems Engineer (Electronics/Software) in Frederick

Energy Jobline ZR; Frederick (MD); Hybrid; USD 106,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

WGS Systems, LLC, based in Frederick, Maryland, seeks an early-career multidisciplinary engineer to support product development across electronics design, hardware integration, and software development. This hybrid role balances hardware and software tasks, offering exposure to RF sensor platforms and data analytics integration.

The candidate will split time between electronics engineering and embedded software, contributing to circuit design, PCB layout, firmware development, data pipelines,

Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelor's degree in a related field and 2–5 years of relevant experience.
• Proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems is required; Python is preferred for scripting and data processing.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop analog and digital circuits for RF sensor platforms.
• Create PCB layouts and schematics using Altium Designer; perform board bring-up and testing.
• Develop embedded firmware for microcontrollers and embedded Linux systems controlling RF sensors and data acquisition.

Skills

Embedded systems

C/C++ programming

Python scripting

Circuit design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Altium Designer

Git/version control

Job description

Job DescriptionJob Description

Job Summary

WGS Systems, a leading innovator in communications and defense industries, is looking to expand our technical team. We are seeking an early-career multidisciplinary engineer to support product development across electronics design, hardware integration, and software development. This hybrid role offers unique exposure to both hardware and software disciplines, ideal for someone who enjoys variety and wants to build broad systems engineering capabilities in the defense/aerospace sector.

You'll contribute approximately 50% of your time to electronics engineering tasks (circuit design, PCB layout, hardware debugging, sensor integration) and 50% to software development (embedded systems, firmware development, data acquisition, and analytics infrastructure support). You'll work at the intersection of sensor hardware and data science, ensuring our RF and electronic systems function reliably while collecting high-quality data that integrates seamlessly with our analytics platform.

As our product portfolio grows, this role will evolve with your interests and company needs. This position is perfect for someone who doesn't want to be pigeonholed into a single discipline and thrives in a fast-paced, hands-on engineering environment where you'll see your work go from concept to fielded system.

Key Responsibilities

Electronics Engineering (50%):

• Design and develop analog and digital circuits, power distribution systems, and signal conditioning for RF sensor platforms
• Create PCB layouts and schematics using tools like Altium Designer; manage board bring-up and testing
• Integrate commercial RF components, cameras, processors, and sensors into custom electronics assemblies
• Debug hardware issues using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and other test equipment
• Conduct EMI/EMC testing and design for compliance with MIL-STD-461 and other electromagnetic compatibility standards
• Support thermal management design for electronics; coordinate with mechanical team on cooling solutions and packaging
• Create and maintain electrical schematics, BOMs, wiring diagrams, and technical documentation per AS9100 standards
• Work with contract manufacturers and PCB fabrication houses to transition designs to production

Software Development (50%)

• Develop embedded firmware for microcontrollers and embedded Linux systems controlling RF sensors and data acquisition (C/C++, Python)
• Write device drivers and hardware abstraction layers for custom electronics and sensor interfaces
• Build data pipelines and ETL processes to ingest sensor data into analytics infrastructure; support integration with commercial datasets
• Develop preprocessing and feature extraction algorithms for raw sensor data to support ML model development
• Create APIs and communication protocols between embedded systems and cloud analytics platforms; ensure data quality and formatting standards
• Implement real-time data processing and streaming for low-latency sensor applications
• Develop test automation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing frameworks for electronics validation
• Contribute to version control practices (Git), continuous integration, and documentation for firmware deliverables

Cross Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with RF engineers, data scientists, and senior systems engineers to integrate electronics and software subsystems
• Partner with data science team to ensure sensor data collection meets analytics requirements; implement data quality checks and validation
• Support development of data infrastructure for model training, including data storage, versioning, and retrieval systems
• Collaborate with mechanical engineers on enclosure design, thermal management, and electromagnetic shielding requirements
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), customer demonstrations, and field testing activities
• Participate in design reviews, failure analysis, root cause investigations, and continuous product improvement initiatives

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or related field
• 2-5 years of professional experience in electronics design and embedded software development, preferably in defense, aerospace, or RF systems
• U.S. (required for contract work; ability to obtain USG Security Clearance
• Proficiency in PCB design tools (Altium Designer or similar) with experience designing multi-layer boards
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems (required); proficiency in Python for scripting and data processing
• Understanding communication protocols: SPI, I2C, UART, USB, Ethernet, CAN

Skills

• Active Secret or higher clearance
• Experience with RF systems, SDRs (software-defined radios), or SIGINT sensor integration
• Familiarity with RF circuit design, matching networks, filters, amplifiers, or antenna integration
• Experience with FPGA development (VHDL/Verilog) for signal processing or high-speed data acquisition
• Familiarity with power management ICs, battery systems, and low-power design techniques
• Experience with Git/version control, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks
• Knowledge of cybersecurity and/or anti-tamper principles for embedded systems and secure boot implementations
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS IoT, GCP) and containerization (Docker) for edge computing applications
• Background in signal processing, DSP algorithms, or time-series data analysis
• Prior work in small team environments where you wore multiple hats

Compensation

• Minimum 106,000 Maximum 143,000

WGS Systems, LLC, based in Frederick, Maryland, provides systems and products that support
our military and homeland security front line personnel. We have been recognized as a small-
business industry leader by the state of Maryland by winning the Homeland Security Award
from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Our offerings include
signal collection and processing systems; first responder protection systems; airborne and
ground-based systems development; multiple sensor integration and fusion; radar, imagery,
and signal exploitation systems integration; advanced computing and networking architecture
development; and communications networks for off-board voice and data dissemination.
We are looking for the highest quality, motivated personnel to help our company continue to
grow into the preeminent sensor and system developer for the defense and homeland security
of our country.WGS Systems is proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V.