Embedded Firmware Engineer

Senior Digital Firmware Design EngineerThe Defense Systems Group at Leidos has an immediate opening for a Senior Digital Firmware Design Engineer at our St. Petersburg, FL facility. This position supports the development of advanced, mission-critical military communications systems and involves the design, integration, testing, and optimization of secure, ruggedized electronic hardware for defense applications. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in FPGA-based digital design and hands-on experience integrating hardware and firmware within complex embedded systems. This individual will have a demonstrated track record supporting defense programs across the full product lifecycle—from requirements development and architectural design through integration, qualification testing, and transition to production.Primary Responsibilities:Participate in a multi-disciplinary engineering team developing secure, high-performance military communications hardware and firmware.Analyze and decompose system-level requirements into detailed hardware design specifications with full traceability.Perform Logic Design; write VHDL code, perform synthesis, logic simulation, test bench generation, functional testing and hardware debugging of designs within FPGA/CPLD devices.Architect, implement and test embedded firmware /software within FPGA-based digital designs including signal processing, control logic, and high-speed interfaces on a variety of platforms (FPGAs, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and mixed signal designs).Troubleshoot and resolve complex hardware, firmware / software and integration issues across prototype and production phases.Support design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR), technical documentation, and configuration management processes.Provide technical input for cost estimates, schedules, and risk assessments.Collaborate closely with Firmware, Software, RF, systems, and test engineering teams throughout the development lifecycle.Clearance Requirements:U.S. Citizen required.Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.Active Secret clearance preferred.Ability to obtain Top Secret clearance preferred.Required Qualifications:BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.6+ years of experience in embedded hardware and digital design (8+ preferred for Senior level).Experience supporting full product development lifecycle including:Requirements analysis, System design and hardware implementation, Integration and testFirmware/software architecture development for embedded systems, including FPGAs and SoCsTechnical documentation and formal design reviewsStrong VHDL, FPGA/SoC design and implementation experience:Digital logic design using VHDL with System-On-Chip devices (SOC's), FPGA's, CPLD/s, and/or Microcontrollers.Modern vendor design tools (IDE's) such as Xilinx Vivado, Vitis, Altera, Libero SoC, Lattice DiamondSimulation and Testbench generation (Xilinx simulator, Aldec Active HDL, Riveria Pro, Modelsim, or similar)RISC microprocessors architectures (ARM Cortex, Microblaze, PowerPC, RISC-V)C/C++ language software development for embedded, real-time systems.Preferred Qualifications:Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.Experience with one or more of the following:FPGA/SOC/u-Processor manufacturers including Xilinx, Microsemi, ST-Micro, Lattice, etcHigh-speed interfaces/protocols such as PCIe, JESD204B, LVDS, and SERDESSimulation and modeling tools (MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW)Embedded operating systems (Linux, VxWorks, FreeRTOS)Implementing signal processing concepts such as digital filters, digital modulation, up/down conversion within HDL designsIP cores and modern processor interfaces (Xilinx IP Cores, AXI4, AXI-Stream)Design, integration and testing electronic circuits within embedded systems, including digital, analog and radio frequency (RF) subsystems.• Experience developing ruggedized or military communication systems • Experience transitioning prototype designs into production hardware TRL5/6 through TRL 8/9) • Familiar with schematic capture and PCB design tools (Altium, Cadence Allegro/OrCAD, KiCAD or equivalent)