Senior Embedded Software Systems Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Embedded Software Systems Engineer

Job Description

This Senior Embedded Software Systems Engineer role sits at the intersection of systems engineering and embedded software, providing technical leadership, integration, and oversight rather than hands-on coding. You will act as the primary liaison between systems, hardware, and software teams, translating system-level requirements into robust embedded software architectures and driving verification and validation strategies aligned with aerospace certification standards such as DO-178 and ARP4754. The position supports both legacy and new development programs across commercial and government domains, ensuring alignment, traceability, and certification readiness throughout the product lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the main interface between systems engineering and software development teams, ensuring clear communication and technical alignment.
• Translate system-level requirements (L0–L2) into detailed software requirements (L3 and below) that are clear, testable, and implementable.
• Author, decompose, and manage high-level and low-level software requirements using a formal requirements management tool.
• Maintain full bidirectional traceability from stakeholder needs through software requirements, implementation, and verification evidence.
• Drive software architecture decisions to ensure they align with system requirements, safety objectives, and certification constraints.
• Lead and facilitate software and system requirements reviews, resolving ambiguities and gaps in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Ensure creation, configuration management, and maintenance of certification artifacts such as PSAC, SDP, SVP, SCMP, and SQAP.
• Define, drive, and oversee verification and validation (V&V) strategies to meet DO-178 and ARP4754 compliance requirements.
• Oversee development, review, and execution of test procedures to verify software requirements and support system-level validation.
• Ensure test results trace appropriately to L2 requirements and support L0 validation reviews and associated certification activities.
• Support internal and external audits, including preparation of evidence and documentation for certification readiness.
• Collaborate across multiple programs, including both commercial and government projects, balancing legacy system support with new development.
• Act as a technical leader and bridge between system intent and software implementation, ensuring consistent interpretation across teams.
• Provide integration oversight to ensure embedded software, hardware, and system-level designs work together as intended.
• Champion best practices in requirements management, traceability, and verification frameworks across the engineering organization.

Essential Skills

• Proven experience with embedded systems, including low-level software and hardware interaction.
• Strong knowledge of communication protocols such as CAN, Ethernet, UART, and SPI.
• Experience working with real-time operating systems (RTOS), including secure FreeRTOS, as well as bare-metal environments.
• Ability to understand, analyze, and navigate complex software architectures and codebases.
• Working knowledge of C and C++ for embedded software contexts.
• Working knowledge of Python for scripting, tooling, or test automation support.
• Hands-on experience with a formal requirements management tool (such as DOORS) for authoring and managing software requirements.
• Familiarity with DO-178 certification processes and associated documentation and compliance expectations.
• Understanding of the ARP4754 system development lifecycle and its relationship to software development and verification.
• Experience with requirements traceability and verification frameworks, including maintaining links from high-level requirements to test evidence.
• Ability to lead technical discussions, drive decisions, and provide guidance across systems, software, and hardware teams.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working on both legacy and new embedded software development programs.
• Experience in safety-critical or highly regulated environments where formal certification is required.
• Experience contributing to or managing certification artifacts such as PSAC, SDP, SVP, SCMP, and SQAP.
• Demonstrated ability to act in an technical leadership capacity, providing integration and oversight rather than primarily hands-on coding.
• Strong communication and documentation skills to clearly capture requirements, decisions, and verification approaches.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including systems engineers, software developers, hardware engineers, and certification specialists.

Work Environment

You will work in a structured engineering environment focused on safety-critical embedded systems for both commercial and government programs. The role emphasizes collaboration with systems engineering, hardware, and software development teams, leveraging formal processes and tools for requirements management, traceability, and verification. You will regularly work with technologies such as embedded C and C++, Python scripting, RTOS and bare-metal platforms, and communication protocols including CAN, Ethernet, UART, and SPI. The environment follows DO-178 and ARP4754-aligned lifecycle processes with a strong emphasis on documentation, configuration control, and certification readiness. Work is primarily performed in a professional office or lab setting using standard engineering workstations and software tools, with a focus on technical leadership, design reviews, and coordination rather than extensive hands-on coding.

This is a Contract position based out of Fort Worth, TX.

The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $84.13/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Fort Worth,TX.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 7, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.