Firmware Engineer

HII's Mission Technologies division•Roanoke, VA

2d•$74,485 - $241,962

About The Position

This opportunity resides with Warfare Systems (WS), a business group within HII’s Mission Technologies division. Warfare Systems comprises cyber and mission IT; electronic warfare; and C5ISR systems. HII works within our nation’s intelligence and cyber operations communities to defend our interests in cyberspace and anticipate emerging threats. Our capabilities in cybersecurity, network architecture, reverse engineering, software and hardware development uniquely enable us to support sensitive missions for the U.S. military and federal agency partners. Leadership at HII is a mindset, not a title. Through our Leadership Capability Framework, we define how every employee grows, leads, and contributes—regardless of role. It sets the standard for how you can develop yourself and what you can expect from leaders across our organization. We look for candidates who want to grow in alignment with these capabilities: Know & Grow Your People – Commit to learning and supporting team success. Build Relationships – Communicate openly, collaborate well, and build trust. Take Ownership – Deliver on commitments and take pride in your work. Customer First – Focus on the mission and those we serve. Shape the Future – Bring ideas, curiosity, and continuous improvement. Act with Urgency – Take initiative and follow through with purpose. These capabilities guide how all employees contribute to our shared success across Mission Technologies. Are you driven by curiosity, energized by complex challenges, and motivated to dissect the unknown? Join a cutting‑edge team where your expertise directly shapes mission outcomes and national security. We’re looking for engineers who excel at uncovering how systems work (and why), thrives in an environment where innovation moves fast and the stakes are high. If you enjoy pushing boundaries, experimenting with new approaches, and delivering solutions that make a measurable impact — this is the role for you. HII Mission Technologies (HII MT) is seeking talented engineers who are excited to work in a flipped engineering environment. Our team in Roanoke, VA specializes in reverse engineering and microelectronics trust and assurance. Candidates for this position will lead a team performing reverse engineering tasks on existing products and encoding discoveries directly into our codebase. Additional tasks involve the research, design, and development of innovative algorithms to automate challenging or time-consuming tasks within the reverse engineering domain. Candidates will be exposed to and become proficient with a variety of technologies involving hardware description languages, embedded instruction architectures, high-level software development languages, formal verification tools, and more. The ideal candidate will have experience with object-oriented design and an understanding of basic logic gates. We are particularly looking for candidates that have experience with FPGA design (Quartus, Vivado, ISE), embedded system design, EDA tools (synthesis, P&R, simulation), and/or microcontrollers. Experience with software reverse engineering is also valued in this position.

Requirements

U.S. citizens
Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance
Extensive experience with object-oriented programming languages (C++, Java, Python)
Exposure to basic logic gates and Boolean math (AND, OR)
Ability to learn new skills quickly
Level 2: 2 years relevant experience with Bachelors in related field; 0 years experience with Masters in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 6 years relevant experience.
Level 3: 5 years relevant experience with Bachelors in related field; 3 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; 0 years experience with PhD or Juris Doctorate in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 9 years relevant experience.
Level 4: 9 years relevant experience with Bachelors in related field; 7 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; 4 years relevant experience with PhD or Juris Doctorate in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 13 years relevant experience.
Level 5: 15 years relevant experience with Bachelors in related field; 13 years relevant experience with Masters in related field; 10 years relevant experience with PhD or Juris Doctorate in related field; or High School Diploma or equivalent and 19 years relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

Already possess an active security clearance
Experience with modern C++ standards (C++17) and STL
Experience with Python
Demonstrate the use of design patterns
Developed using software development processes (Agile, TDD, etc.)
Familiarity with Verilog or VHDL
Experience with FPGA design software (Quartus, ISE, Vivado, etc.)
Experience with software reverse engineering (IDA Pro, Ghidra, Binary Ninja etc.)
Proficient with source control systems (git, svn, perforce, etc.)
Experience with the code review process
Experience with binary patching
Experience bypassing encryption schemes (power glitching, side channel attacks, etc.)
Published research regarding cybersecurity, software exploitation, or reverse engineering

Responsibilities

Leading reverse engineering efforts into systems of interest
Mentoring junior engineers in the reverse engineering and development processes
Communicating clearly and effectively
Demonstrating the ability to architect maintainable solutions to complex problems
Effective collaboration with teammates on the development of new ideas
Accepting constructive feedback through the code review process
Implementing algorithms created by hardware engineers or from academic sources with limited documentation