Senior Embedded Systems & Hardware-in-the-Loop Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a Senior Embedded Systems & Hardware-in-the-Loop Engineer to design, implement, and integrate real-time embedded software, FPGA logic, and HIL testbeds for mission-critical aerospace and defense systems. You will architect control and sensor interfaces, build high-fidelity simulation environments, and develop automated test frameworks to validate guidance, navigation, and control algorithms. Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams, mentor junior engineers, document designs, and contribute to innovative research supporting national security and space exploration missions.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement real-time embedded software and FPGA logic for mission-critical systems.
• Architect and develop hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds and high-fidelity simulations.
• Integrate sensors, actuators, and communication interfaces into embedded platforms.
• Develop automated test frameworks and tools using Python, MATLAB, or similar.
• Perform system-level debugging, performance tuning, and root-cause analysis.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to refine requirements and system architectures.
• Document designs, test procedures, and results to meet engineering standards.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute technical leadership to project teams.
• Support research, prototyping, and experimentation for new mission concepts.

Required Skills

• Embedded C/C++ development
• Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
• Real-time operating systems (RTOS)
• FPGA development (VHDL/Verilog)
• Microcontroller/So
• C architecture
• Digital and analog electronics
• Control systems and signal processing
• Python/MATLAB for test automation
• Communication protocols (SPI, I2
• C, UART, CAN, Ethernet)
• Systems integration and debugging
• Configuration management (Git)
• Requirements and design documentation