Embedded Software Engineer

This role offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced Embedded Software Engineer to develop mission-critical software for aerospace applications within a dynamic, growing engineering team. You will spend approximately 70% of your time on hands-on embedded software development and 30% on laboratory testing, contributing directly to complex systems while providing technical mentorship to other engineers. You will help architect, implement, and verify embedded solutions that comply with stringent aerospace and defense standards, ensuring system safety, reliability, and performance., * Serve as both an individual contributor and a mentor, providing technical guidance and career development support to other embedded software engineers.

• Collaborate closely with senior technical leadership to architect and implement embedded software solutions that meet program requirements for aerospace and defense applications.
• Design, develop, and maintain embedded software primarily in C, with additional work in C++, Python, and other relevant languages as needed.
• Ensure software complies with applicable aerospace and defense standards, including AS9115 and DO-178C, with a focus on system safety and reliability.
• Manage assigned tasks effectively, monitor and report progress to team leaders, and proactively adjust priorities to meet schedule and budget constraints.
• Perform thorough code reviews, enforce coding standards, and maintain high levels of software quality across the embedded software codebase.
• Coordinate regularly with systems engineering and hardware teams to ensure seamless integration of software with the overall system architecture.
• Initiate, plan, and execute laboratory testing activities to validate embedded software functionality, performance, and safety.
• Contribute to and support safety-compliant software and system safety processes, including those aligned with MIL-STD-882.
• Participate in requirements and compliance management activities, using appropriate modeling and tools to trace and verify requirements.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of experience developing embedded software for defense or aerospace systems.
• Strong proficiency in Embedded C, including experience on bare-metal platforms and real-time operating systems (RTOS).
• Experience programming in C++, with additional scripting or development experience in Python.
• Hands-on experience with microcontroller-based embedded systems and low-level software development.
• Experience with embedded systems development tools, including compilers, debuggers, and version control systems.
• Ability to perform and participate in code reviews and enforce coding standards to maintain software quality.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across software, systems, and hardware teams.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage tasks, track progress, and adjust priorities.
• Ability to work with mission-critical, safety-focused aerospace and defense applications, following established processes and standards.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with aerospace and defense software standards such as AS9115 and DO-178C for system safety.
• Familiarity with safety-critical systems development and safety processes in compliance with MIL-STD-882.
• Experience developing embedded software for System-on-Chip (SoC) designs, including RFSoC and similar platforms.
• Background in embedded software for advanced systems, RF front ends, mixed-signal, and digital solutions.
• Experience using requirements and compliance management tools such as DOORS, Visure, or similar modeling and tracking platforms.
• Prior hands-on work with aerospace or defense embedded platforms and associated test environments.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and provide technical oversight to embedded software team members.
• Familiarity with mission-critical, high-reliability systems and the associated verification and validation practices.

Work Environment

You will work in a technically rigorous aerospace and defense environment focused on delivering mission-critical solutions across advanced systems, RF front ends, mixed-signal, and digital product lines. The role combines office and laboratory settings, where you will use embedded development tools, compilers, debuggers, version control systems, and specialized test equipment to design, implement, and validate software on microcontrollers, SoCs, and RFSoC platforms. You will collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams of software, systems, and hardware engineers, following structured processes and industry standards for safety-critical systems. The environment emphasizes high performance, quality, and compliance, while supporting professional growth through mentorship, technical leadership opportunities, and exposure to cutting-edge aerospace and defense technologies.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Frederick, MD.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $72.11 - $96.15/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: * Medical, dental & vision * Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital * 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available * Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) * Short and long-term disability * Health Spending Account (HSA) * Transportation benefits * Employee Assistance Program * Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.