{"id":1884471,"url":"https://alion.io/job/trident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer","title":"Principal Embedded Software Engineer","company":{"id":2311281,"name":"Trident Systems","domain":"tridsys.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/tridsys","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"ADP","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-06T05:45:30Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Sterling, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":120000,"max":222000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":222000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":9,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":true},{"name":"RTOS","optional":true},{"name":"Ubuntu","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-06-01T22:26:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-06-01","last_verified_at":"2026-10-06T23:11:32Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":127,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":126},"description":"Position Title: Principal Embedded Software Engineer\nRequisition ID: 1784\nPosition Location: Sterling, VA\nPosition Reports To: Manager, Space Electronic Systems\nSupervises Others: No\nAt Trident Systems, we believe that strong engineering principles are fundamental to driving innovation and solving complex problems. We promote a culture characterized by rigorous engineering practices and a commitment to continuous improvement. This is achieved by leveraging our organization's collective expertise through collaborative development processes, which include thorough design and peer reviews. We can deliver innovative, high-performance solutions that meet our customers' evolving requirements by integrating our specialized knowledge in aerospace electronic systems with appropriately scaled development methodologies.\nWe are a mission partner supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, and Civil space customers. We develop complex, radiation effects mitigated, designs that balance competing requirements in modern space programs, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve more in space.\n Position Summary\nThe Principal Embedded Software Engineer serves as a highly experienced individual contributor responsible for embedded software architecture, implementation, and technical execution across advanced aerospace computing platforms and supporting engineering systems. This role focuses on embedded Linux platforms, board support packages (BSPs), low-level platform software, hardware interfaces, device drivers, boot architecture, and system-level debugging across software and hardware boundaries.\nThis is a hands-on engineering role intended for a deeply experienced embedded software engineer who thrives in complex hardware-centric environments and contributes through strong technical execution, sound engineering judgment, architectural rigor, and mentorship of other engineers.\nDuties and Responsibilities\nArchitect, design, and implement software across embedded aerospace computing platforms and supporting engineering systems.\nDefine clean software-hardware interfaces across processors, FPGAs, peripherals, storage devices, networking subsystems, and platform infrastructure.\nArchitect robust boot strategies, software update mechanisms, telemetry frameworks, fault handling, recovery strategies, and maintainable runtime software architectures.\nLead Linux BSP development, platform bring-up, driver integration, hardware enablement, and low-level software architecture activities.\nDevelop, review, and optimize software for performance-critical paths including storage, networking, DMA, PCIe, interrupt-driven I/O, and embedded communications.\nDiagnose and resolve complex technical issues spanning software, firmware, FPGA, operating system, drivers, and hardware interactions.\nEstablish and reinforce strong software engineering practices including design reviews, code reviews, reproducible builds, release discipline, traceability, CI/CD workflows, and technical documentation.\nMentor software engineers through technical guidance, design collaboration, architecture reviews, and hands-on engineering support.\nSupport technical trade studies, architecture decisions, requirements decomposition, and customer technical discussions.\nPartner closely with FPGA, electrical, systems, product, and test engineering teams to deliver integrated technical solutions.\nSupport off-site integration activities or travel, as needed.\nPerform other duties as assigned.\nRequired Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline, or equivalent practical engineering experience. \n9+ years of related experience (OR 7+ years with a master’s degree)\nEmbedded software engineering experience with significant delivery on complex hardware-based systems.\nExperience in embedded software architecture, low-level software development, and software/hardware integration.\nExperience developing Linux-based embedded systems including BSP development, platform bring-up, kernel integration, or low-level software infrastructure.\nDeep proficiency in C and C++ with strong systems-level software design fundamentals.\nExperience developing software for embedded hardware platforms including custom peripherals, communications interfaces, storage subsystems, or FPGA-connected systems.\nStrong debugging skills across software, operating system, driver, and hardware boundaries.\nExperience with source control, build systems, release engineering, and disciplined software development practices.\nAbility to mentor engineers through technical guidance, architecture reviews, code reviews, and collaborative engineering support.\nStrong written and verbal communication skills with engineering teams, technical stakeholders, and customers.\nPreferred Qualifications\nMaster’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline.\nExperience in aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability engineering environments.\nLinux kernel driver development experience including PCIe, networking, storage, GPIO, DMA, interrupt handling, serial interfaces, or custom hardware integration.\nExperience with embedded Linux environments such as Yocto, Buildroot, Ubuntu, or similar platforms.\nFamiliarity with embedded communications and hardware interfaces including SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, PCIe, SpaceWire, or related protocols.\nExperience working closely with FPGA-based systems or hardware acceleration platforms.\nExperience with RTOS-based embedded systems or deterministic software environments.\nExperience with secure boot, fault tolerance, redundancy architectures, software recovery strategies, or mission-critical embedded systems.\nExperience with Python-based engineering automation, internal tools, or test infrastructure development.\nStrong engineering judgment, systems thinking, and ability to independently solve complex multidisciplinary technical problems.\nPay Information\nFull-Time Salary Range: $120,000 - $222,000\nPlease Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.\nBenefits\nHired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:\nHealth benefitsMedical \nDental \nVision\nBasic life with AD&D\nShort term disability\nLong term disability\nAncillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)\nSpending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)\n\nPaid time off\nHolidays\n401(k) (including company match)\nTuition reimbursement\nLeaves (Parental, maternity, and military)\nAnnual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)\n\nTrident Systems reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position. \nTrident Solutions is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact .\nPay Transparency: The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)","description_format":"text","description_chars":8226,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":9,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":true},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Artificial Intelligence","Military","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-05T01:29:48Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":9,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.309,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":126,"expected_fill_days":35,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-06T05:45:30Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":222000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/trident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/trident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-06T23:14:39Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":4375,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":625,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-10-07T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":2311281},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2311281"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/trident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-embedded-software-engineer"}]}