Associate Embedded Systems Emulation Engineer

Description

You will join a multidisciplinary group of researchers and engineers building technology that has near-term impact on national security.

You will work where computer systems meet physical hardware, building the tools and models that emulate complex cyber-physical platforms for analysis, reverse engineering, and experiments.

You do not need hands-on experience with every listed technology. Sound fundamentals, curiosity, and the drive to pick up new tools and fields matter more.

Responsibilities

• Join a small, focused team that designs, builds, and tests modular software and tools for emulating cyber-physical systems.
• Add to and adapt emulation frameworks such as QEMU, using C/C++ and Python, to support new targets, peripherals, and capabilities.
• Analyze binaries of unfamiliar or sparsely documented firmware, identify its hardware dependencies, and modify it so it runs in emulated environments.
• Create emulator tooling and virtual device models for reverse engineering and analysis across several architectures, such as ARM and PPC.
• Build digital models with virtualization tools like QEMU and connect them into end-to-end system simulations that closely match real hardware.
• Verify model quality and correctness through unit and system tests, checking behavior against first principles, measured data, documentation, and hardware and software artifacts.
• Explain the technical basis of models and algorithms in reports and briefings.

Requirements

• You must hold an active Secret clearance and be eligible for Top Secret (TS) clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship as required by the U.S. Government.
• A BS in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Solid C/C++ skills for systems-level or embedded software development.
• Working knowledge of Python for building tools, automating tasks, and integrating components.
• Familiarity with QEMU or similar emulation and virtualization frameworks.
• Strong grasp of computer architecture, emulation principles, and good software practice such as modular design, testing, and code review.
• Experience with collaborative source control, such as Git.
• Active Top Secret (TS) security clearance.
• Familiarity with network architecture and protocols, and experience integrating networked simulations.
• Experience making low-level software changes, such as implants, firmware modifications, or binary patch development.
• Experience at the software and hardware boundary, including device drivers or real-time or embedded operating systems.
• Experience with reverse engineering and firmware rehosting for embedded systems, including instruction set analysis (e.g., ARM, PPC) and tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, or Binary Ninja.
• Experience building component models (e.g., sensors, actuators, dynamics, environmental factors) in Python and/or C/C++ and integrating them into system-level simulations and software processing chains.
• Experience working with hardware components and interfaces.
• A Masters or PhD in a related field.

Conditions

Full-time position with a salary range of $91,000 - $125,000.

The range is based on external market data. Actual offers depend on factors such as experience, education, training, key skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

The company is a growing technology firm with locations near Boston, MA; Arlington, VA; Dayton, OH; Melbourne, FL; Carlsbad, CA; Atlanta, GA; and Denver, CO.

The company does research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in cyber, next-generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, electronic warfare, and AI algorithms and analytics.

The team works in a collaborative learning environment that values deep technical understanding and recognizes each member's contributions.

The company is an equal opportunity employer that hires without regard to protected characteristics.

Positions require national security clearances and compliance with export control and other applicable laws.