Embedded Hardware Engineer – Electro-Optical Systems

Acron Aviation • Sarasota, FL

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About The Position

Acron Aviation (Mission Systems & ISR Solutions) designs, develops, and supports advanced airborne, maritime, and ground-based mission systems for public safety, defense, search and rescue, and surveillance applications. Their products include electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensor systems, gyro-stabilized gimbals, airborne surveillance payloads, mission management systems, searchlights, counter-UAS technologies, and integrated mission equipment. These solutions are deployed across various platforms and require collaboration across multiple engineering disciplines. The company is seeking a hands-on Embedded Hardware Engineer to design, develop, and debug electronics for advanced electro-optical systems used in airborne, land, and maritime applications. This role involves owning hardware development from concept to production support, including schematic capture, PCB layout, bring-up, integration, and qualification. The position also includes developing electronics for real-time video processing, motor control, stabilization, communications interfaces, and power regulation. Additionally, the engineer will act as a hardware escalation resource for manufacturing and field service teams, assisting with root cause investigations, corrective actions, and continuous product improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of hands-on embedded hardware design experience supporting production hardware.
• Experience with schematic capture, PCB layout, hardware integration, and production support.
• Practical experience with embedded digital interfaces including SPI, I²C, UART, RS-232, RS-422, and Ethernet.
• Experience supporting high-speed video, high-speed serial, or related interface technologies.
• Experience working with microcontrollers and FPGA-based systems.
• Strong understanding of power electronics, DC/DC conversion, regulation, sequencing, and protection circuits.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and technical communication skills.
• Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR/EAR regulations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Altium Designer.
• Experience with brushless motor control and stabilization systems.
• Experience supporting gyros, encoders, IMUs, or related sensor technologies.
• Experience with EO/IR imaging systems and video electronics.
• Exposure to FPGA development, VHDL, or Verilog environments.
• Embedded firmware development experience in C.
• Familiarity with aerospace, defense, or environmental qualification standards such as DO-160, MIL-STD-810, or MIL-STD-461.
• Experience supporting airborne, maritime, defense, public safety, or surveillance systems.
• Experience with structured root cause analysis and continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Own board-level hardware design activities from requirements through release, including architecture development, component selection, schematic capture, and PCB layout.
• Design circuitry supporting real-time video processing, motor control and stabilization, serial communications, and DC/DC power regulation and distribution.
• Apply disciplined high-speed digital, mixed-signal, and power design methodologies.
• Design for EMI/EMC compliance, thermal performance, reliability, and environmental robustness.
• Integrate and support microcontrollers, FPGAs, and supporting digital architectures.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation, including schematics, bills of material, fabrication drawings, interface control documents, and test procedures.
• Perform first-article board bring-up and hardware characterization activities.
• Troubleshoot hardware faults at the component, circuit, and system level.
• Utilize oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers, DMMs, power supplies, thermal imaging equipment, and other diagnostic tools.
• Validate interfaces including SPI, I²C, UART, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, Ethernet, CAN, USB, HDMI, SDI, LVDS, and related technologies.
• Execute design verification activities and support EMI/EMC and environmental qualification testing.
• Drive corrective actions and design improvements based on qualification and test results.
• Support manufacturing and service teams with troubleshooting, yield improvement, and technical issue resolution.
• Develop test fixtures, functional test procedures, troubleshooting guides, and production support documentation.
• Conduct failure analysis activities on returned and fielded products.
• Support engineering change implementation and continuous improvement efforts.
• Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Testability (DFT), and Design for Serviceability (DFS) principles.
• Provide occasional customer, supplier, and field support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior