Senior​/Principal Avionics Embedded Systems Electrical Engineer, Onsite

What Your Job Will Be Like

Ready to join a dynamic & diversely skilled team that solves significant issues for our nation's security? Are you passionate about advanced embedded computer systems, software, firmware, or testing of systems to ensure integrity of electronic components in support of our National Defense and security? If so, we invite you to explore this opportunity to join our impactful team and make a difference.

Department 5325, Flight Systems and Avionics is seeking a motivated, detail oriented, and creative Embedded Systems Engineer to join our dynamic engineering team. The position is ideal for individuals eager to design, develop, and create advanced electronic systems. You will work under the guidance of experienced engineers, contributing to the creation of innovative solutions while ensuring compliance with industry standards and safety regulations.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong foundation in computer or electrical engineering principles, excellent problem‑solving skills, and a passion for technology. The position offers an excellent opportunity for professional growth and development in a collaborative and supportive environment.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant will be required to work onsite.

• Analyze and extract functional and electrical requirements from component datasheets (e.g., sensors, FPGA/MPSoC, communication ICs) to develop comprehensive embedded system specifications.
• Design and implement embedded firmware and software optimized for low‑latency operation to meet timing constraints.
• Collaborate with electronic hardware engineers to define system hardware requirements.
• Develop and maintain real‑time embedded software using C/C++ and RTOS environments.
• Lead design reviews and mentor junior engineers on best practices for embedded system design, latency optimization, and hardware interfacing. Document all software design decisions, requirements traceability, and test results in compliance with industry standards.
• Troubleshoot complex hardware/software integration issues using debugging tools such as JTAG debuggers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers.
• Stay updated with the latest technologies, tools, and industry trends to enhance skills and knowledge.

$117,500 - $235,700*

* Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline plus a minimum of 5 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q level security clearance.

The ideal R&D Electrical Engineering candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Electrical Engineering or a highly related field.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate well in a multidisciplinary team of designers and test engineers.
• Outstanding verbal and written skills, including the ability to develop and present briefings that are clear and compelling.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• A minimum of 5 or more years of experience in embedded systems design.
• Experience working with MPSoC hardware architectures and peripheral interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, RS‑422, Ethernet, or Highspeed backplane topologies).
• Proficient with embedded software development tools for FPGA/SoC processor architectures: IDEs, compilers, version control (Git), and debugging hardware, operating system device tree configuration.
• Demonstrated experience with SoC integration across the Processing System (PS) and Programmable Logic System (PL). Experience with Operating systems, and real‑time debugging techniques.
• Experience in latency‑sensitive embedded software design, including interrupt‑driven programming, DMA, and real‑time scheduling.