Firmware Engineer IPosition OverviewAs a
Firmware Engineer at Orion Edge, you will bridge the gap between complex hardware and mission-critical software. You will design, implement, and deploy firmware that powers our next-generation electronic warfare and digital disruption systems. This is a highly collaborative, full-stack hardware/software role where you will work closely with electrical, mechanical, and FPGA engineers to bring cutting-edge defense technologies to life.
If you are a methodical problem solver who loves board bring-ups, digging into registers, and pushing resource-constrained hardware to its absolute limits, we want to hear from you.
Education Requirements- Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science (with a low-level/systems focus), or a closely related technical field.
Key Responsibilities- Architect & Implement: Write clean, modular, and highly optimized C code for bare-metal and RTOS-based embedded systems from the ground up.
- Hardware/Software Co-Design: Collaborate closely with the hardware team on board bring-up, PCB debugging, and hardware-software integration for newly designed boards.
- SoC & FPGA Integration: Interface firmware with programmable logic and FPGA designs (Verilog/VHDL), ensuring seamless data flow and control across SoC boundaries.
- Control Systems: Implement and tune real-time control loops on target microcontrollers and processors.
- Testing & Automation: Build robust hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing workflows and automation scripts to validate system reliability.
- Documentation: Create clear theory-of-operation write-ups, register maps, and architectural documentation for internal and external stakeholders.
Required Skills & Experience- Embedded Software Expertise: Proficiency in C for embedded systems, with a proven track record of architecting and implementing firmware from scratch in bare-metal and RTOS environments.
- Computer Architecture Fundamentals: Deep understanding of memory management (stack/heap, DMA, caches, memory-mapped I/O), interrupt handling, timers, and peripheral interaction on resource-constrained platforms.
- FPGA & SoC Development: Hands-on experience with FPGA design (Verilog or VHDL; Vivado or comparable toolchains), specifically targeting SoC platforms where firmware and programmable logic closely interact.
- Real-Time Control: Familiarity with control systems theory and implementing real-time control loops on hardware targets.
- Standard Protocols: Deep working knowledge of embedded communication protocols, including UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, and Ethernet (TCP/UDP).
- Hardware Debugging: Strong root-cause analysis skills utilizing SWD/JTAG debuggers, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and multimeter tools to debug both software and hardware integration anomalies.
- Embedded Linux: Proficiency in Linux environments, including shell scripting, cross-compilation toolchains, and working knowledge of kernel-level concepts (device trees, drivers, kernel modules, and user/kernel space boundaries).
- Electronics Competency: Ability to read electrical schematics and datasheets, independently prototype circuits on breadboards, and safely operate standard lab equipment.
- AI-Assisted Development: Experience utilizing AI tools to accelerate development velocity, coupled with the critical engineering judgment to review, verify, test, and own the final code.
- Engineering Rigor: Highly proficient with Git and modern software development practices (disciplined version control, thorough code reviews, and structured documentation).
Preferred Qualifications- Robotics Frameworks: Experience with ROS/ROS 2, especially integrating embedded microcontrollers with higher-level robotics and autonomy systems.
- RTOS Ecosystems: Experience with RTOS scheduling, synchronization primitives, and interrupt-safe design patterns using FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar RTOS platforms.
- Flash & Bootloaders: Experience writing custom bootloaders, managing flash memory, and implementing secure firmware update mechanisms (DFU/OTA).
- Python Mastery: Strong Python skills for writing test harnesses, automation tools, and parsing telemetry data.
- DevOps for Hardware: Experience setting up CI/CD pipelines for embedded targets and automated hardware testing infrastructure.
Professional Attributes- Systems-Level Thinker: You thrive working across the entire stack-from register-level bit manipulation to Linux userspace applications and physical electronics.
- Methodical Troubleshooter: You approach complex system failures with a calm, step-by-step logic, finding the root cause rather than treating the symptoms.
- Clear Communicator: You translate complex technical realities into clear documentation, clean code comments, and collaborative design discussions.
- Self-Directed & Resourceful: You don't need hand-holding. You can grab a datasheet, spin up a toolchain, and build a working prototype with minimal direction.
- Rapid Learner: You possess the intellectual curiosity and agility to quickly adapt to new hardware platforms, programming languages, and domains.
- Highly Collaborative: You enjoy working at the interface of multiple engineering disciplines, treating hardware and mechanical teams as your closest partners.
