Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer; clearance required

Company:
Ultra Intelligence & Communications – Mission Solutions Powering Decision. Join the team redefining defense technology. From engineering systems that save lives to leading programs that change the battlefield, find your place in the future of defense. As part of the Mission Solutions business, you will help streamline the preparation and execution of intricate, mission‑critical operations. We focus on enhancing situational awareness, tactical command and control, and seamless video‑data exchange capabilities within a dynamic, multi‑domain environment.

Ultra Pro Logic is expanding its encryption business and seeks an Embedded Firmware Engineer to architect, implement, and certify high‑assurance cryptographic systems used by the U.S. Department of Defense, NATO, and allied partners. This role requires secure embedded design, Rust adoption in constrained environments, and rigorous formal certification practices.

• High‑assurance cryptographic and key‑management systems supporting secure communications, remote rekey, and lifecycle management.
• Embedded software and firmware operating within defined crypto, INFOSEC, and high‑assurance boundaries.
• Architecture and implementation of cryptographic information‑assurance (IA) software and systems.
• Systems that undergo formal NSA High Assurance certification, from requirements through fielding and sustainment.

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware primarily in VHDL for cryptographic and security‑critical platforms.
• Develop embedded algorithms and functions within firmware.
• Develop device drivers for hardware components.
• Architect cryptographic IA firmware and systems, defining security boundaries, trusted services, and separation of crypto and non‑crypto functions.
• Perform trade studies and embedded architecture design, emphasizing red‑black separation, Security Monitor, bus interfaces, and channel development.
• Support NSA High Assurance certification, including requirements decomposition, traceability, security architecture definition, documentation, and development of certification artifacts and evidence.
• Participate in technical reviews and certification milestones.
• Maintain formal engineering documentation: SHRS/IRS, ICDs, SHDDs.
• Develop and execute simulations, integration, and acceptance testing, including hardware‑in‑the‑loop and security‑relevant test cases.
• Manage configuration control for firmware development items in certified baselines.
• Collaborate closely with systems, hardware, software, security, and test engineers in a high‑performance team.
• Implement process, tooling, and automation improvements to support secure development and certification efficiency.
• Travel (~5%) for customer interaction, test events, or off‑site integration activities.

• Active U.S. Government Secret Security Clearance (U.S. citizenship required).
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of embedded firmware development in VHDL.
• Experience with low‑level embedded development and debugging on ARM/Micro Blaze processors and SoC platforms.
• Firmware and hardware/software integration experience.
• Strong understanding of memory management, concurrency, and deterministic embedded behavior.

• 10+ years of embedded or firmware development.
• Direct experience with NSA High Assurance certification, RMF, or similar DoD security frameworks.
• Familiarity with cryptographic system design, key management, and secure boot/trust architectures.
• Experience with AMD Zynq Ultra Scale+ MPSoC (e.g., Xilinx ZCU
  102/104 Evaluation Kit).
• Experience in waterfall or agile development methodologies.
• Systems‑thinking mindset for assessing technical risk and security impact.
• Clear communicator who thrives in collaborative, technically rigorous teams.

• Work on fielded, certified cryptographic systems and research & development projects.
• Direct exposure to NSA High Assurance certification.
• Opportunity to influence system architecture, not just implementation.
• Hands‑on role in modernizing high‑assurance systems.
• Lo…