REAL TIME CONSULTING (An RTCo Company)-POSITION DESCRIPTIONJOB TITLE: Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer - Aircraft Surveillance ProductsABOUT THE JOB: The Lead Firmware & FPGA Engineer is responsible for the technical leadership, architecture, development, certification support, and lifecycle management of advanced avionics systems spanning FPGA, firmware, and Complex Electronic Hardware (CEH) domains.
This role leads firmware, FPGA, and hardware engineering activities for airborne products including transponder, TCAS, surveillance, and communications systems while ensuring compliance with aerospace standards and customer requirements.
The position serves as the primary technical authority for firmware development, requirements definition, and design execution, including oversight of external engineering partners and contract design organizations. The successful candidate will lead firmware architecture and performance trade studies, leverage AI-enabled engineering tools to improve productivity and automation and own the development of product hardware requirements and design documentation throughout the product lifecycle.
Key Competencies
- Technical leadership
- Avionics systems thinking
- Requirements engineering
- Supplier management
- Product ownership
- Strategic planning
- Risk management
- Cross-functional collaboration
- AI-enabled engineering innovation
- Continuous improvement mindset
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to influence technical direction across organizations
REQUIRED SKILLS:- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
- 10+ years of experience in aerospace, avionics, or safety-critical embedded product development
- 5+ years of technical leadership experience leading complex firmware, FPGA, or embedded avionics development programs
- Strong experience in embedded firmware architecture, design, integration, and verification for safety-critical electronic systems
- Experience managing and overseeing external engineering design partners or contract development organizations
- Experience developing and managing requirements documentation, traceability, and verification evidence for firmware or complex electronic hardware
- Proven knowledge of RTCA DO-254 certification expectations applicable to airborne systems
- Strong understanding of firmware integration challenges across FPGA, hardware, software, and system validation environments
- Experience supporting certification and regulatory compliance activities for avionics or other highly regulated products
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Accountable and takes ownership of assigned tasks
- Self-motivated and takes initiative to get things done
PREFERRED SKILLS:- Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline
- Experience leading firmware development for FAA, EASA, TSO, ETSO, or military avionics programs
- Familiarity with DO-178C, ARP4754A, and ARP4761 development and certification processes
- Experience with FPGA-based designs, programmable logic integration, and coordination across firmware and hardware boundaries
- Experience with embedded firmware supporting surveillance or communications technologies including Mode S Transponders, ADS-B, IFF, DME, TCAS, or ACAS
- Experience implementing AI-assisted engineering workflows and automation solutions
- Experience with DOORS or similar requirements management tools
- Experience reviewing outsourced firmware development deliverables, plans, and verification artifacts
- Project leadership or engineering management experience
