Senior Firmware Engineer

The Ed Wallach Search Group; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ed Wallach Search Group in Herndon, VA is seeking an experienced Firmware Engineer to contribute to our R&D division. You will join the firmware team to develop, integrate, and test firmware for space-based electro-optical systems.

Lead architecture and end-to-end development, collaborating with hardware, systems, software, and optical engineers to ensure robust, high-rel firmware and timely integration into flight hardware.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant firmware experience in aerospace or space-grade systems.
• BS or MS in Electrical Engineering or equivalent field.
• Proficient in HDL design and verification (VHDL/RTL, SystemVerilog).
• Strong DSP, timing, and optical communications knowledge.
• Experience with power, timing, and serial interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, LVDS).

Responsibilities

• Lead firmware architecture and implementation for space-based EO payloads and laser systems.
• End-to-end firmware development lifecycle from requirements to validation.
• Collaborate with hardware, systems, software, and optical engineers to define interfaces.
• Participate in iterative development cycles with rapid feedback and testing.
• Conduct lab debugging, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and system validation.
• Support peer code reviews and continuous improvement of processes.
• Apply high-reliability and space-grade techniques like fault tolerance and radiation mitigation.
• Contribute to documentation, design reviews, and risk identification throughout the lifecycle.

Skills

Firmware engineering

VHDL RTL

SystemVerilog

DSP

LIDAR

FPGA (Xilinx)

CI/CD tooling

GitHub

Python automation

Space-grade tech

High-speed links

SPI I2C UART

Radiation-tolerant design

Education

BS/MS in EE

Tools

Xilinx

Microchip

Lattice FPGA

ModelSim

Vivado

GitHub

CI/CD

Python

Job description

Location: Herndon, VA

Security Clearance: US Citizen/Clearable

We are looking for an experienced Firmware Engineer to contribute to the development of products on our Research and Development Division in Herndon VA.

As part of our R&D division, you would join our firmware team to develop, integrate, and test our firmware products in our spaced-based, electro-optical systems.

Essential Job Duties

• Lead and contribute to firmware architecture and implementation for space-based electro-optical payloads and laser systems
• Perform end-to-end firmware development lifecycle: from requirements analysis through design, coding, simulation, verification, and validation
• Collaborate closely with hardware, systems, software, and optical engineers in cross-functional teams to define interfaces, resolve design issues, and ensure seamless system integration
• Participate in task-based iterative development cycles, incorporating rapid feedback, frequent integration points, and incremental testing to meet mission reliability goals
• Conduct lab-based debugging, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and system-level validation using diagnostic tools and protocols
• Support peer code reviews, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement of development processes and best practices
• Apply high-reliability and space-grade techniques (e.g., fault tolerance, radiation mitigation) in a collaborative, team-oriented environment
• Contribute to documentation, design reviews, and risk identification throughout the product lifecycle

Job Requirements

Experience And Expertise Required

• 7+ years relevant experience
• BS/MS in EE or equivalent
• Expertise with firmware engineering, VHDL (RTL), System Verilog (Testing)
• Expertise with Digital Signal Processing, precision timing, optical comms (modems), LIDAR
• Experience with Xilinx, Microchip, and Lattice FPGAs and their associated development tools
• Experience developing test benches and running simulations to exercise the design and to verify compliance
• Experience interfacing and working with hardware designers during development, integration, and test phases
• Experience using schematics and block diagrams as inputs for firmware design
• Experience in high-speed serial links: GTY/GTM, JESD204B/C, Ethernet, SpaceWire
• Experience in standard peripheral interfaces: SPI, I2C, UART, LVDS, etc.
• Experience in memory interfaces: DDR3/4, QDR, FRAM, etc.
• Experience with GitHub, CI/CD for FPGA flows, code reviews, automated linting, synthesis, regression testing, timing closure, bitstream generation, release tagging

Bonus Areas

• Experience in Python for build/testing automation and data analysis
• Experience with Linux, scripting, Docker containers, and automation
• Experience developing Hi-Rel/Space programs and TMR coding
• Experience developing code (C, C++) for microcontrollers
• Experience with VS Code

We are a leading developer of laser and electro-optic systems for the aerospace community, with key contributions to lasers for atmospheric sensing, laser communications, and lidar sensors for NASA, DoD, and commercial customers.