Embedded Systems & FPGA Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory • Laurel, MD

1d

About The Position

The Embedded Systems & FPGA Engineer joins a multidisciplinary, collaborative team designing, integrating, and delivering custom end-to-end RF communications systems built around software-defined radios for special operations and intelligence communities. The systems address national security challenges and support applications including active threat deterrence, signal intelligence, cyber operations, machine learning, image processing, and applied data analytics. They range from large-scale RF processing systems to small, low-power systems for specialized applications.

The engineer collaborates on software, firmware, and RTL for wireless communications systems; translates sophisticated signal-processing algorithms developed in Matlab into real-time embedded implementations; supports system integration, field testing, debugging, and troubleshooting, sometimes under tight time constraints; and works with sponsors to understand and address their problems. The role requires eligibility to obtain a Secret-level security clearance, including U.S. citizenship.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or another field relevant to the duties.
• Development experience and proficiency in VHDL or Verilog, FPGA development tools such as AMD Vivado, and simulation tools such as Vivado or ModelSim.
• Experience developing software applications on ARM Embedded Linux platforms, such as AMD Zynq or Raspberry Pi.
• Ability to acquire a Secret-level security clearance; eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

• Experience using build automation and CI/CD to automatically test, configure, build, and deploy complex software applications and FPGA builds.
• Demonstrated success architecting and implementing solutions spanning some combination of CPUs, FPGAs, GPUs, or COTS software-defined radios.
• Experience creating and maintaining board support packages (BSPs) using Openembedded/Yocto, Petalinux/EDF, or Buildroot for development boards or custom hardware.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with experienced engineers on software, firmware, and RTL development for wireless communication systems.
• Implement sophisticated signal-processing algorithms developed in Matlab in real time on embedded systems.
• Support integration, field testing, debugging, and troubleshooting, often under tight time constraints.
• Engage with sponsors to understand and tackle their problems.

Benefits

• Robust education assistance program and education assistance.
• Retirement plans with unparalleled retirement contributions.
• Paid time off.
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Training and development.
• Healthy work/life balance.
• Potential sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance, as applicable.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time