What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer (clearance required) position at Nickerson Talent Solutions?
Job Description
This role goes beyond traditional embedded development. You will work on security-critical software and firmware that must meet NSA High Assurance (HA) certification requirements, contributing directly to cryptographic information assurance architectures, certification artifacts, and fielded systems protecting real-world tactical and strategic networks.
If you are motivated by deep technical challenges—secure embedded design, Rust adoption in constrained environments, and building systems that withstand formal certification scrutiny—this role offers rare and meaningful work.
What You’ll Work On
• 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
Role Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware primarily in VHDL for cryptographic and security-critical platforms
- Develop embedded algorithms and functions in firmware
- Develop device drivers for hardware components
- Architect cryptographic information assurance Firmware and systems, including definition of security boundaries, trusted services, and separation of crypto and non-crypto functions
- Perform trade studies and embedded architecture design, with emphasis on red-black separation, Security Monitor, bus interfaces and channel development
- Actively support the NSA High Assurance certification process, including:
- Requirements decomposition and traceability
- Security architecture definition and documentation
- Development of certification artifacts and evidence
- Participation in technical reviews and certification milestones
- Develop and maintain formal engineering documentation:
- Software & Hardware Requirements (SHRS, IRS)
- Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
- Software/Hardware Design Descriptions (SHDD)
- 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, mission-driven team
- Identify and implement process, tooling, and automation improvements to support secure development and certification efficiency
- Periodic travel (~5%) for customer interaction, test events, or off-site integration activities
Required Qualifications
- 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 experience in VHDL
- Experience with:
- Low-level embedded development and debugging
- ARM/MicroBlaze-based processors and SoC platforms
- Firmware and hardware/software integration
- Strong understanding of memory management, concurrency, and deterministic embedded behavior
Preferred / Differentiating Experience
- 10 years of embedded or firmware development experience
- 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 UltraScale MPSoC (e.g., Xilinx ZCU102/104 Evaluation Kit or similar)
- Experience working in waterfall or agile development methodology-based projects
- Strong systems-thinking mindset with the ability to assess technical risk and security impact
- Clear communicator who thrives in collaborative, technically rigorous teams