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Job description
Description
The Defense Systems Group at Leidos has an immediate opening for a Senior Digital Firmware Design Engineer at our St. Petersburg, FL facility. This position supports the development of advanced, mission-critical military communications systems and involves the design, integration, testing, and optimization of secure, ruggedized electronic hardware for defense applications.
The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in FPGA-based digital design and hands-on experience integrating hardware and firmware within complex embedded systems. This individual will have a demonstrated track record supporting defense programs across the full product lifecycle-from requirements development and architectural design through integration, qualification testing, and transition to production.
The Leidos St. Petersburg facility specializes in the design, development, modeling and simulation, analysis, prototyping, and testing of advanced electronic systems. Our primary focus areas include embedded communications systems, Software Defined Radios (SDR), and Phased Array Antenna Systems supporting Department of Defense and commercial customers.
Primary Responsibilities:
Participate in a multi-disciplinary engineering team developing secure, high-performance military communications hardware and firmware.
Analyze and decompose system-level requirements into detailed hardware design specifications with full traceability.
Perform Logic Design; write VHDL code, perform synthesis, logic simulation, test bench generation, functional testing and hardware debugging of designs within FPGA/CPLD devices.
Architect, implement and test embedded firmware /software within FPGA-based digital designs including signal processing, control logic, and high-speed interfaces on a variety of platforms (FPGAs, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and mixed signal designs).
Troubleshoot and resolve complex hardware, firmware / software and integration issues across prototype and production phases.
Support design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR), technical documentation, and configuration management processes.
Provide technical input for cost estimates, schedules, and risk assessments.
Collaborate closely with Firmware, Software, RF, systems, and test engineering teams throughout the development lifecycle.
Clearance Requirements:
U.S. Citizen required.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.
Active Secret clearance preferred.
Ability to obtain Top Secret clearance preferred.
Required Qualifications:
BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
6+ years of experience in embedded hardware and digital design (8+ preferred for Senior level).
Experience supporting full product development lifecycle including:Requirements analysis, System design and hardware implementation, Integration and test
Firmware/software architecture development for embedded systems, including FPGAs and SoCs
Technical documentation and formal design reviews
Strong VHDL, FPGA/SoC design and implementation experience:Digital logic design using VHDL with System-On-Chip devices (SOC's), FPGA's, CPLD/s, and/or Microcontrollers.
Modern vendor design tools (IDE's) such as Xilinx Vivado, Vitis, Altera, Libero SoC, Lattice Diamond
Simulation and Testbench generation (Xilinx simulator, Aldec Active HDL, Riveria Pro, Modelsim, or similar)
RISC microprocessors architectures (ARM Cortex, Microblaze, PowerPC, RISC-V)
C/C++ language software development for embedded, real-time systems.
Experience with one or more of the following:Integrating and troubleshooting digital subsystems within embedded systems.
Digital interfaces such as I2C, SPI, RS-232/422, USB, Ethernet
ADC/DAC devices and understanding performance characteristics.
Hands-on lab experience debugging hardware using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and related tools
Understand trade-offs of embedded system targets (FPGA, SoC, microcontroller, RTOS, bare-metal) for developing best cost/option architectures
Preferred Qualifications:
Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.
Experience with one or more of the following:FPGA/SOC/u-Processor manufacturers including Xilinx, Microsemi, ST-Micro, Lattice, etc
High-speed interfaces/protocols such as PCIe, JESD204B, LVDS, and SERDES
Simulation and modeling tools (MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW)
Embedded operating systems (Linux, VxWorks, FreeRTOS)
Implementing signal processing concepts such as digital filters, digital modulation, up/down conversion within HDL designs
IP cores and modern processor interfaces (Xilinx IP Cores, AXI4, AXI-Stream)
Design, integration and testing electronic circuits within embedded systems, including digital, analog and radio frequency (RF) subsystems.
* Experience developing ruggedized or military communication systems
* Experience transitioning prototype designs into production hardware TRL5/6 through TRL 8/9)
* Familiar with schematic capture and PCB design tools (Altium, Cadence Allegro/OrCAD, KiCAD or equivalent)
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.
Original Posting:
September 4, 2026
For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
Pay Range:
Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
About Leidos
Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit
Pay and Benefits
Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at
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Commitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.
Who can apply
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