Job Description
Join our team at Strategic Sight Consulting LLC for an opportunity as a Firmware Engineer - Embedded Controls / Sensors. The esteemed candidate will develop, modify, integrate, and troubleshoot embedded firmware supporting unmanned, autonomous, sensor, and other advanced platforms for critical national security missions. You will work across embedded processors, microcontrollers, sensors, motors, actuators, optics, gimbals, and control systems to rapidly prototype, integrate, test, and mature firmware capabilities that interface directly with complex hardware systems.
Responsibilities and Background
- Develop, modify, integrate, test, and troubleshoot embedded firmware for advanced hardware systems supporting critical national security missions.
- Design, modify, and debug low-level software operating on embedded processors, microcontrollers, and System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms.
- Develop and maintain embedded firmware using C/C++ or similar low-level programming languages.
- Integrate firmware with electromechanical and electronic systems, including motors, actuators, sensors, optics, gimbals, imaging systems, and other embedded subsystems.
- Interface embedded hardware using communication protocols and interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, PWM, ADC/DAC, and similar technologies.
- Develop and support firmware for motor control, position control, stabilization systems, encoders, sensors, and other control applications.
- Work closely with electrical, mechanical, software, and systems engineering teams to integrate hardware and firmware solutions.
- Analyze existing firmware, schematics, datasheets, interface control documents, and system documentation to understand, modify, and enhance embedded systems.
- Troubleshoot hardware and firmware issues that cross electrical, mechanical, and software boundaries.
- Perform firmware debugging and hardware-level troubleshooting using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, debuggers, and other laboratory test equipment.
- Develop and support real-time embedded software utilizing interrupts, timers, memory management, hardware interfaces, and real-time processing techniques.
- Support integration and testing of sensors, actuators, imaging systems, and control hardware against physical system requirements.
- Rapidly prototype, test, and evaluate new firmware capabilities using physical hardware and laboratory equipment.
- Identify and implement improvements to existing firmware, hardware interfaces, and embedded system performance.
- Support firmware integration, verification, troubleshooting, and technical documentation throughout the system development lifecycle.
Requirements
- United States citizenship.
- Active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience supporting embedded systems, firmware development, engineering, or related technical disciplines.
- An additional
4 years of experience in system design and development of embedded, electronic, electromechanical, sensor, control, or related systems. - Demonstrated experience developing or modifying embedded firmware using C/C++ or similar low-level programming languages.
- Experience working with microcontrollers, embedded processors, System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms, and associated peripherals.
- Experience interfacing firmware with hardware using SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, PWM, ADC/DAC, or comparable interfaces and communication protocols.
- Experience developing or supporting firmware for motors, actuators, sensors, optics, gimbals, or other electromechanical systems.
- Strong understanding of real-time embedded systems, interrupts, timers, memory management, hardware interfaces, and embedded system architecture.
- Experience troubleshooting embedded firmware and hardware using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, hardware debuggers, and laboratory test equipment.
- Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, datasheets, interface control documents, technical specifications, and existing firmware.
- Ability to work collaboratively across electrical, mechanical, software, systems, and integration engineering disciplines.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience developing firmware for gimbals, motor controllers, camera systems, electro-optical systems, stabilized payloads, or similar systems.
- Experience with motor control, encoders, PID or other control loops, position control, and stabilization systems.
- Experience integrating IMUs, cameras, environmental sensors, GNSS receivers, or other sensor technologies.
- Experience with embedded Linux, Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS), or bare-metal firmware development.
- Familiarity with STM32, NXP, Texas Instruments, Microchip, or similar embedded processor and microcontroller platforms.
- Experience reverse engineering, modifying, maintaining, or extending existing or minimally documented firmware.
- Familiarity with bootloaders, firmware update mechanisms, device drivers, board support packages, and low-level communications protocols.
- Experience supporting Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), robotics, autonomous systems, imaging systems, sensor platforms, or other embedded systems.
- Experience rapidly prototyping, integrating, and testing firmware against physical hardware.
- Experience supporting engineering development, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and fielded system sustainment within Department of Defense or other national security environments.
