Location: Herndon, Virginia
Work Arrangement: 100% onsite
Employment Type: Full-time, permanent
Base Salary: $160,000–$180,000
Travel: Less than 10%
Security Clearance: Active DoD Secret clearance required
Visa Sponsorship: Not available
Relocation Assistance: Not available
The Opportunity
A leading aerospace and defense organization is seeking a Lead Embedded Software Engineer to guide the development of mission-critical embedded systems. This hands-on technical leadership role focuses on expanding the use of Rust, modernising legacy software and delivering maintainable, memory-safe solutions for complex real-time platforms.
You will set engineering direction across multiple product lines, mentor software teams and remain closely involved throughout requirements, architecture, implementation, hardware-software integration and formal testing.
Key Responsibilities
Lead embedded software development and provide technical direction to multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Drive the adoption of Rust, including associated techniques, design patterns, tooling and memory-safe development practices.
Guide the integration or conversion of legacy embedded software to Rust.
Lead all phases of the software-development lifecycle, including requirements analysis, design, implementation, hardware-software integration and formal test.
Collaborate with hardware, systems and software engineers to define interfaces, performance requirements and system design.
Investigate complex issues, identify root causes and implement reliable corrective solutions.
Develop software test plans, procedures and technical documentation.
Develop embedded software using Rust, C, C++ and Python for real-time operating systems including VxWorks, Linux and Integrity.
Serve as a technical mentor and reviewer for junior engineers.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science or a related discipline, plus at least nine years of relevant experience.
Alternatively, a graduate degree plus at least seven years of relevant experience, or at least 13 years of relevant experience in place of a degree.
At least three years of experience leading software-development teams.
At least two years in an Agile software-lead or comparable technical leadership role.
Professional experience developing software in Rust.
At least five years of C or C++ development and object-oriented design experience.
At least five years of Earned Value Management tracking experience.
At least three years of experience leading software proposals, including cost estimates and proposal packages.
Active U.S. Department of Defense Secret security clearance.
Current authorisation to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.
Preferred Experience
Embedded and real-time software systems.
UML or modelling tools such as IBM Rhapsody, MagicDraw or Cameo.
Device drivers and Board Support Packages.
Information Assurance or cryptography.
NSA Type 1 certification or standards such as DO-178.
Benefits
Comprehensive full benefits package.
Senior technical leadership opportunity on mission-critical aerospace and defence systems.
Long-term product, architecture and team-development responsibility.
Equal Opportunity
Qualified applicants will receive consideration without discrimination based on any status protected under applicable federal, state or local law.