Senior System Engineer

Company Description

Liberty Defense provides advanced security detection solutions designed for concealed weapons identification in high-traffic areas such as airports, schools, and stadiums. With cutting-edge technologies like the HEXWAVE system, developed under an exclusive license from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the company offers modular and scalable protection for detecting both metallic and non-metallic threats. Liberty Defense’s portfolio includes High Definition Advanced Imaging Technology (HD-AIT) body scanners and shoe scanner technologies tailored for aviation security checkpoints. Dedicated to ensuring community safety, Liberty Defense strives to maintain peace of mind with superior detection solutions.

Role Description

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Systems Engineer to join our rapidly expanding team as we develop advanced people screening platforms for the aviation and commercial markets. You will be responsible for architecting, integrating, and maintaining subsystems within a complex system through to a finished product.

As part of a multi-disciplinary engineering team, you will partner closely with our RF, mechanical, hardware, and software development engineers to develop and validate new designs and support existing products. You will work across hardware and software boundaries, helping integrate Linux-based embedded platforms, GPU/CPU compute, and image reconstruction/detection algorithms into reliable, manufacturable products. You should be comfortable working from concept through design, integration, test, and transfer to manufacturing, and have a strong understanding of global electronic standards, thermal characteristics, power supply design, packaging/enclosures, and manufacturability.

Essential Functions:

• Lead system-level hardware architecture and integration of complex electro-mechanical subsystems.
• Own and maintain system and interface requirements across RF, digital, embedded, mechanical, and software teams.
• Support hardware/software integration and real-time system bring-up in the lab and in the field.
• Provide sustaining engineering support for existing people screening products in production and at customer sites: troubleshoot system issues, drive root cause analysis, and implement design corrections and ECOs.
• Partner with manufacturing and test engineering to release and maintain production test procedures, debug yield and quality issues, and support line builds and factory troubleshooting.
• Balance new product development with hands-on support of existing systems in the field and in manufacturing, as driven by business needs.
• Drive design reviews, design documentation, and adherence to best practices and applicable standards.
• Support EMC/FCC/UL/environmental testing and resolve issues identified during qualification.
• Work with manufacturing and suppliers to ensure DFM/DFA and smooth transition to production.

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

• BS in Electrical Engineering or related field and 7–10 years of relevant experience.
• Experience leading hardware architecture, design, and engineering, including developing and modifying hardware designs, industrial designs, and thermal envelopes. Common skill sets include analog, digital, CPU boards, and RF interfaces.
• Strong knowledge of best practices and how your domain integrates with other engineering subspecialties.
• Demonstrated technical judgment and analytical thinking, using multiple internal and external sources to arrive at decisions.
• 5 years of analog and digital board development and embedded systems experience.
• Development experience with high-performance processors (e.g., COM Express modules and GPUs), peripherals and I/O subsystems including flash memory, PCIe, 1G/10G Ethernet, SPI, I²C, and clocking/synchronization subsystems.
• Experience with schematic entry (Altium familiarity is a plus).
• Experience with hardware/software integration and real-time systems.
• Comfortable working in a Linux environment (command-line tools, basic system operations, build and logging tools).
• Basic understanding of signal processing and imaging concepts (e.g., filtering, FFTs, calibration, image reconstruction pipelines) and ability to interpret reconstructed images/heatmaps to support system debugging and optimization.
• Hands-on experience with troubleshooting and technical problem-solving, including use of standard lab equipment (DVM, oscilloscope, etc.)

Preferred (Bonus) Qualifications:

• Knowledge of global electronic standards and electronic product design.
• Mixed-signal design experience.
• Experience driving systems through EMC/FCC/UL/environmental testing.
• Familiarity with VHDL/Verilog FPGA development, FPGA debug, and hardware associated with FPGAs.
• Experience with Linux-based embedded systems, GPU-accelerated pipelines, or containerized deployments.
• Scripting language (e.g., Python, Bash) for data analysis, automation, and lab/debug tasks.
• Experience with Python or MATLAB for data analysis, lab automation, or image reconstruction support.

Working Environment and Physical Requirements

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• Primarily office-based environment with standard office equipment.
• Must be able to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and complexity of the work being performed by personnel assigned to this classification, and do not represent an exhaustive list of all tasks, duties, and responsibilities required of personnel assigned to this position.

Liberty Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer and are committed to a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. We recruit, hire, and promote associates without regard to race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws.