Director of Embedded Hardware Engineering

Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced and technically hands-on engineering leader to drive the architecture, design, and development of advanced embedded hardware platforms supporting mission-critical defense and aerospace applications.

This individual will play a key leadership role within the hardware engineering organization, owning the technical direction of ruggedized embedded compute systems designed for challenging operational environments. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise across embedded hardware, electrical and mechanical integration, thermal optimization, FPGA and processor technologies, and open architecture defense systems.

This role requires a strong blend of technical architecture, product strategy, customer engagement, and cross-functional engineering leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical vision, architecture, and roadmap for advanced embedded hardware platforms and edge compute solutions
• Define and develop embedded hardware product concepts aligned to defense and aerospace customer requirements
• Drive SWaP-optimized designs for rugged deployed environments utilizing modern CPU, GPU, FPGA, and high-performance processing technologies
• Oversee the functional design and integration of complex embedded hardware systems including electrical, mechanical, thermal, software, FPGA, and networking components
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams consisting of Electrical, Mechanical, FPGA, Embedded Software, and Systems Engineers throughout the full product lifecycle
• Guide engineering teams through architecture, prototyping, integration, testing, manufacturing, and production readiness activities
• Develop technical artifacts including system architecture documents, interface control documents (ICDs), block diagrams, specifications, wiring schematics, and design documentation
• Partner with systems engineering and software teams to derive requirements and develop integrated hardware/software solutions
• Participate in customer-facing technical discussions, Voice of Customer sessions, technical interchange meetings, and proposal activities
• Collaborate with program management and business development teams to align engineering execution with customer commitments and organizational priorities
• Build and maintain strong relationships with strategic vendors, technology partners, and silicon providers
• Represent the organization at customer engagements, industry events, and defense technology conferences

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in embedded hardware engineering, defense systems engineering, or ruggedized electronics development
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering teams or hardware product organizations
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline
• Deep experience with the full embedded hardware product lifecycle including PCB design, fabrication, integration, environmental testing, and manufacturing
• Strong background designing ruggedized embedded systems for defense, aerospace, EW, SDR, sensor, or mission-critical environments
• Experience with open architecture and COTS-based embedded platforms
• Hands-on understanding of embedded compute technologies including FPGA, CPU, GPU, networking, and high-speed interconnects
• Experience working with embedded software environments including Linux, RTOS, compilers, debuggers, and version control tools such as Git
• Familiarity with RF/Microwave systems, networking infrastructure, and complex integrated hardware/software systems
• Experience designing systems to military environmental standards such as MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, and related specifications
• Strong understanding of hardware development tools, simulation environments, automated test frameworks, and lab instrumentation
• Ability to author and evaluate technical documentation including ICDs, schematics, and architecture documentation
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to interface effectively with engineering teams, executives, customers, and government stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with MOSA/SOSA aligned architectures including OpenVPX, OMS, FACE, VNX+, or related standards
• Background supporting EW, C2, SDR, avionics, sensor processing, or edge compute systems
• Master’s degree or advanced technical degree preferred
• Active DoD Security Clearance preferred or ability to obtain one

Additional Information

• Full-time direct hire opportunity
• Competitive compensation package including bonus and equity potential
• Primarily onsite role located in Columbia, MD
• Some travel to customer and partner sites may be required
• U.S. Citizenship required due to the nature of the work and clearance eligibility requirements