Job Summary

Do you enjoy working close to the hardware and understanding how embedded systems actually operate? Are you comfortable digging through firmware, debugging low-level code, and building tools to help others understand complex systems? Do you like working with researchers and reverse engineers to develop custom tooling and firmware modifications that unlock deeper insight into embedded devices?

Battelle is currently seeking an Embedded Systems Developer to support our Cyber research teams in our Columbus, OH or Chantilly, VA locations.
As an Embedded Systems Developer, you will work closely with vulnerability researchers and reverse engineers who analyze embedded platforms across a wide range of architectures and operating systems. Your role will focus on building the tooling, firmware modifications, and development infrastructure that enables deeper system analysis. This includes creating instrumentation, modifying firmware for experimentation, developing debugging utilities, and helping researchers interact with hardware platforms at a low level.

You will leverage your embedded development expertise to support and accelerate research efforts. You will help bridge the gap between development and reverse engineering by designing systems and tools that make complex embedded devices easier to analyze. "From Silicon to Systems" - We are an elite, multi-disciplinary team bringing together the brightest minds from physics, computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics to develop unique embedded security solutions for government and industrial customers.

Responsibilities

• Develop low-level firmware, instrumentation, and tooling to support reverse engineering and vulnerability research efforts
• Modify existing firmware and embedded software to enable analysis, debugging, and experimentation
• Build internal tools and automation pipelines that assist researchers working with embedded devices
• Interface directly with hardware platforms including microcontrollers, SoCs, and custom embedded systems
• Develop scripts and utilities to support firmware extraction, analysis workflows, and device interaction
• Assist vulnerability researchers with debugging complex behaviors across embedded platforms
• Work closely with reverse engineers to understand system behavior and design tools that improve analysis capabilities
• Prototype and test techniques for interacting with embedded systems including debugging interfaces and emulation environments
• Contribute to collaborative research efforts across multidisciplinary teams

Key Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field with 5 years of experience; or Master's degree with 2 years of experience; or PhD in related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Strong experience developing software for embedded systems in C or C++
• Experience working with microcontrollers, SoCs, or embedded Linux systems
• Experience debugging low-level code using tools such as gdb, JTAG/SWD debuggers, or hardware debugging tools
• Familiarity with assembly language for common embedded architectures (ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, etc.)
• Experience building scripts or tooling in Python or similar languages
• Ability to analyze firmware behavior and modify embedded software for testing or instrumentation
• Ability to work individually and within small fast-paced research teams
• Passion for understanding how complex systems work at a low level
• Must be a US Citizen with the ability and willingness to obtain a DoD Secret or higher clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with firmware extraction or firmware analysis workflows
• Familiarity with reverse engineering tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, or BinaryNinja
• Experience working with embedded operating systems such as Linux, VxWorks, QNX, or RTOS environments
• Experience with hardware interfaces such as UART, SPI, I2C, JTAG, or SWD
• Experience emulating embedded systems or developing simulation environments
• Experience building internal developer tools or research tooling
• Experience supporting security research, vulnerability research, or hardware security analysis
• Active DoD Secret security clearance

Some Of The Extras That Make Working Here Great

• Learn (tuition assistance, paid training) and teach (get published, speak at a conference)
• Software and Intellectual Property development royalty sharing
• Mentorship and learning culture
• Internally funded and guided research projects with large amounts of individual autonomy

Benefits: Live an Extraordinary Life
We care about your well-being, not just on the job. Battelle offers comprehensive and competitive benefits to help you live your best life.

• Balance life through a compressed work schedule: Most of our team follows a flexible, compressed work schedule that allows for every other Friday off-giving you a dedicated day to accomplish things in your personal life without using vacation time.
• Enjoy enhanced work flexibility, including a hybrid arrangement: You have options for where and when you work. Our Together with Flexibility model allows you to work 60% in-office and 40% remote, with Monday and Tuesday as common in-office days, dependent on team and position needs.
• Take time to recharge: You get paid time off to support work-life balance and keep motivated.
• Prioritize wellness: Stay healthy with medical, dental, and vision coverage with wellness incentives and benefits plus a variety of optional supplemental benefits.
• Better together: Coverage for partners, gender-affirming care and health support, and family formation support.
• Build your financial future: Build financial stability with an industry-leading 401(k) retirement savings plan. For most employees, we put in 5 percent whether you contribute or not, and match your contributions on top of that.
• Advance your education: Tuition assistance is available to pursue higher education.

A Work Environment Where You Succeed
For brilliant minds in science, technology, engineering and business operations, Battelle is the place to do the greatest good by solving humanity's most pressing challenges and creating a safer, healthier and more secure world.

You will have the opportunity to thrive in a culture that inspires you to:

• Apply your talent to challenging and meaningful projects
• Receive select funding to pursue ideas in scientific and technological discovery
• Partner with world-class experts in a collaborative environment
• Nurture and develop the next generation of scientific leaders
• Give back to and improve our communities