Principal Embedded Software Engineer

Position Title: Principal Embedded Software Engineer
Requisition ID: 1784
Position Location: Sterling, VA
Position Reports To: Manager, Space Electronic Systems
Supervises Others: No

At Trident Systems, we believe that strong engineering principles are fundamental to driving innovation and solving complex problems. We promote a culture characterized by rigorous engineering practices and a commitment to continuous improvement. This is achieved by leveraging our organization's collective expertise through collaborative development processes, which include thorough design and peer reviews. We can deliver innovative, high-performance solutions that meet our customers' evolving requirements by integrating our specialized knowledge in aerospace electronic systems with appropriately scaled development methodologies.

We are a mission partner supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, and Civil space customers. We develop complex, radiation effects mitigated, designs that balance competing requirements in modern space programs, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve more in space.

Position Summary

The Principal Embedded Software Engineer serves as a highly experienced individual contributor responsible for embedded software architecture, implementation, and technical execution across advanced aerospace computing platforms and supporting engineering systems. This role focuses on embedded Linux platforms, board support packages (BSPs), low-level platform software, hardware interfaces, device drivers, boot architecture, and system-level debugging across software and hardware boundaries.

This is a hands-on engineering role intended for a deeply experienced embedded software engineer who thrives in complex hardware-centric environments and contributes through strong technical execution, sound engineering judgment, architectural rigor, and mentorship of other engineers.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and implement software across embedded aerospace computing platforms and supporting engineering systems.
• Define clean software-hardware interfaces across processors, FPGAs, peripherals, storage devices, networking subsystems, and platform infrastructure.
• Architect robust boot strategies, software update mechanisms, telemetry frameworks, fault handling, recovery strategies, and maintainable runtime software architectures.
• Lead Linux BSP development, platform bring-up, driver integration, hardware enablement, and low-level software architecture activities.
• Develop, review, and optimize software for performance-critical paths including storage, networking, DMA, PCIe, interrupt-driven I/O, and embedded communications.
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues spanning software, firmware, FPGA, operating system, drivers, and hardware interactions.
• Establish and reinforce strong software engineering practices including design reviews, code reviews, reproducible builds, release discipline, traceability, CI/CD workflows, and technical documentation.
• Mentor software engineers through technical guidance, design collaboration, architecture reviews, and hands-on engineering support.
• Support technical trade studies, architecture decisions, requirements decomposition, and customer technical discussions.
• Partner closely with FPGA, electrical, systems, product, and test engineering teams to deliver integrated technical solutions.
• Support off-site integration activities or travel, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline, or equivalent practical engineering experience.
• 9+ years of related experience (OR 7+ years with a master's degree)
• Embedded software engineering experience with significant delivery on complex hardware-based systems.
• Experience in embedded software architecture, low-level software development, and software/hardware integration.
• Experience developing Linux-based embedded systems including BSP development, platform bring-up, kernel integration, or low-level software infrastructure.
• Deep proficiency in C and C++ with strong systems-level software design fundamentals.
• Experience developing software for embedded hardware platforms including custom peripherals, communications interfaces, storage subsystems, or FPGA-connected systems.
• Strong debugging skills across software, operating system, driver, and hardware boundaries.
• Experience with source control, build systems, release engineering, and disciplined software development practices.
• Ability to mentor engineers through technical guidance, architecture reviews, code reviews, and collaborative engineering support.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with engineering teams, technical stakeholders, and customers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability engineering environments.
• Linux kernel driver development experience including PCIe, networking, storage, GPIO, DMA, interrupt handling, serial interfaces, or custom hardware integration.
• Experience with embedded Linux environments such as Yocto, Buildroot, Ubuntu, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with embedded communications and hardware interfaces including SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, PCIe, SpaceWire, or related protocols.
• Experience working closely with FPGA-based systems or hardware acceleration platforms.
• Experience with RTOS-based embedded systems or deterministic software environments.
• Experience with secure boot, fault tolerance, redundancy architectures, software recovery strategies, or mission-critical embedded systems.
• Experience with Python-based engineering automation, internal tools, or test infrastructure development.
• Strong engineering judgment, systems thinking, and ability to independently solve complex multidisciplinary technical problems.

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $120,000 - $222,000
Please Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.

Benefits

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:

• Health benefits
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Basic life with AD&D
  • Short term disability
  • Long term disability
  • Ancillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)
  • Spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• 401(k) (including company match)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Leaves (Parental, maternity, and military)
• Annual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)

Trident Systems reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position.

Trident Solutions is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io .

Pay Transparency: The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)