Firmware Systems Manager

Build the Software Foundation Behind Autonomous Systems Leidos is seeking a Firmware Systems Manager to lead and develop a team of engineers building the low-level software that connects sensors, hardware, and mission software across autonomous maritime systems.

This is a hands-on engineering leadership role for someone with a strong background in embedded software or firmware who is ready to take on broader responsibility for people, engineering process, and technical execution. The successful candidate does not need to be the most senior firmware expert in the room, but should understand how disciplined software engineering practices translate into reliable embedded systems.

You will work closely with software, hardware, systems engineering, integration, and program teams to ensure firmware is developed, reviewed, tested, controlled, integrated, and released using sound engineering practices.

Responsibilities Firmware & Software Engineering Leadership Provide technical guidance and day-to-day leadership for engineers developing bare-metal and low-level embedded software.

Support development of firmware architectures, interfaces, drivers, and hardware/software integration approaches.

Maintain a working understanding of microcontroller-based systems, real-time behavior, hardware interfaces, and embedded C/C++ development.

Participate in and facilitate software and firmware design reviews and technical peer reviews.

Help engineers investigate and resolve complex hardware/software integration issues.

Promote maintainable, testable, and well-documented firmware designs.

Software Development Process Establish and reinforce disciplined software development practices across firmware efforts.

Ensure effective use of source control, branching strategies, configuration management, and controlled software releases.

Promote effective peer review and pull-request workflows, including appropriate review of design and implementation changes.

Support development and improvement of CI/CD pipelines, automated builds, static analysis, unit testing, and other automated quality checks.

Promote appropriate use of Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), bench testing, and automated integration testing.

Ensure firmware baselines, dependencies, build environments, and released artifacts are reproducible and appropriately controlled.

Work with engineering teams to continuously improve development, integration, verification, and release processes.

People & Team Leadership Directly manage and develop firmware and embedded software engineers.

Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, coaching, performance discussions, and career development activities.

Help engineers grow both technically and professionally while building greater ownership and independence.

Participate in hiring, onboarding, staffing, and development of the firmware team.

Foster a collaborative engineering culture built around accountability, technical rigor, continuous learning, and constructive peer review.

Report to the division-level Software/Firmware Engineering Manager.

Program & Cross-Functional Execution Work closely with Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Integration & Test, and Program Management.

Help translate system and hardware requirements into executable firmware development activities.

Coordinate firmware development and integration activities across projects.

Identify technical, process, schedule, and integration risks and work with engineering teams to resolve them.

Support technical reviews, integration events, demonstrations, and customer deliverables.

Basic Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical…