This is an UNPAID internship through the DoD SkillBridge Program for transitioning active-duty US military personnel. DoD SkillBridge Internships are available to help transitioning active-duty military personnel gain real-world experience in the work force sometime during their final 180 days of active-duty service. The intern will actively train on meaningful projects and work closely with a mentor and with senior company leadership. HII Mission Technologies Internship programs are focused on placing transitioning military into internships that require KSAs, Education & Military Training similar to their current or previous military jobs; positions that could easily transition over to a full-time regular and permanent job with HII. Objective The Skillbridge intern will train as a Software Engineer within HII-Mission Technologies, reporting to a designated HII Supervisor, with the goal of learning Software Engineering basics and principles, and who can effectively contribute to HII MT's reverse engineering team, with practical experience in hardware/software analysis and development within a cleared environment. The intern will be assigned special projects as needed. Desired End State (3-4 month target) At the end of three months, the intern will gain: Technical Proficiency Master fundamental reverse engineering techniques using industry tool Develop competency in FPGA design software and hardware description languages Gain hands-on experience with object-oriented programming in C++ and Python Project Integration Contribute to live projects involving microelectronics trust and assurance Learn to document and integrate discoveries into existing codebase Develop test suites to validate code functionality Professional Development Understand DoD/cleared facility work environment protocols Learn collaborative development practices through code review process Gain experience with version control systems and development workflows Mission Technologies will benefit from the military background of the SkillBridge intern and considers the SkillBridge internship an overall positive experience. Assumptions/Restrictions If candidate is selected and approved, SkillBridge Intern can travel in conjunction with this internship; HII Mission Technologies will fund all travel costs. SkillBridge Intern will possess at minimum an Active Secret Security Clearance. SkillBridge Intern will be available during core hours for critical meetings and training. Essential Job Responsibilities Training Location: Roanoke, VA (in-person) Training Plan PHASE 1: FUNDAMENTALS AND TOOLS INTRODUCTION (Weeks 1-4) Week 1: Orientation and Basic Tools Security protocols, facility procedures, and DoD workplace expectations Setup of development environment and introduction to version control (git) Basic logic gate review and Boolean mathematics refresher Week 2: Programming Foundations C++ fundamentals and modern C++ features (C++17 and STL) Python programming essentials for hardware engineering Introduction to hardware description languages (Verilog/VHDL basics) Week 3: Hardware Tools FPGA development environment setup (Quartus/Vivado) Basic FPGA design workflows and simulation Introduction to EDA tools and synthesis concepts Week 4: Reverse Engineering Basics Introduction to reverse engineering methodology Hands-on training with IDA Pro and Ghidra Basic hardware analysis techniques PHASE 2: SUPERVISED PROJECT WORK (Weeks 5-8) Week 5: Initial Project Integration Team workflow introduction and code review process Small-scale reverse engineering assignments Documentation practices and codebase familiarization Week 6: Component Analysis Guided hardware component reverse engineering Implementation of findings into source code Test suite development fundamentals Week 7: Tool Development Contributing to internal software tools Debugging and optimization techniques Integration with existing systems Week 8: Advanced Analysis Complex system analysis techniques Microcontroller and embedded systems exploration Formal verification tool introduction PHASE 3: INDEPENDENT PROJECT CONTRIBUTION (Weeks 9-12) Week 9: Project Assignment Independent reverse engineering project assignment Planning and documentation of approach Initial analysis and tool selection Week 10: Implementation Code development for assigned project Test suite creation Regular code reviews and feedback integration Week 11: Integration and Testing System integration of developed components Comprehensive testing and validation Documentation completion Week 12: Final Phase Project presentation and knowledge transfer Final code review and optimization Program completion and transition planning Success Metrics: Completion of assigned reverse engineering projects Demonstrated proficiency in tool usage Quality of code contributions and documentation Effective team collaboration and communication Understanding of security protocols and procedures Additional Goals: Event Support Product Sprint Planning