Embedded and RF engineers recruiting
Embedded and radio frequency engineers build the software, firmware, logic and radio systems inside sensors, radios, avionics, missiles, satellites and ground stations.
The work is hardware-bound, laboratory-based and, on defense programs, classified, so it is done on site at the program's facilities. Recruiters Workforce recruits embedded software, firmware, FPGA, signal processing and RF engineers for defense primes, subcontractors, space companies and the laboratories around the major installations.
What embedded and RF engineers do
Embedded software and firmware engineers write and test code in C and C++ for real-time operating systems and bare-metal targets, bring up boards, and integrate with hardware in the lab. FPGA engineers design in VHDL or Verilog and verify their designs in simulation and on hardware. RF engineers design and test antennas, transceivers, amplifiers and filters, and signal processing engineers develop the algorithms that run on all of them. On a program these roles work together through integration and test, and the requisition usually names the platform, the frequency bands or interfaces, and the tools.
Because these programs are export-controlled as well as classified, the requisition also states the citizenship requirement, which is decided by the program under the relevant regulations rather than by the employer's preference.
Certifications commonly requested
Certifications are uncommon in this specialty; degrees, laboratory experience and program history decide the match, with two exceptions.
- CompTIA Security+
- Requested where the embedded engineer administers program development systems or holds privileged access. Current version V7.
- INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional
- Requested for embedded engineers moving into system architecture roles on defense and space programs that follow INCOSE's handbook.
Clearance levels commonly required
Defense sensor, radio and missile programs require Secret for most engineering work and Top Secret for program offices, and space and intelligence sensor programs require TS/SCI. Laboratory work on classified hardware is on site without exception. Commercial embedded employers, from semiconductor companies to consumer electronics, require no clearance, and their engineers are candidates for contractors willing to sponsor a Secret investigation while the engineer works on unclassified development.
Engagement models that fit
Integration and test campaigns and production ramps suit contract staffing, and programs expecting headcount on award use contract-to-hire. Direct hire fits engineering organizations with approved headcount. Retained search fits chief engineers and RF architects on sensor and space programs. The engagement models page compares them.
Industries that hire embedded and RF engineers
Markets where embedded and RF engineers are in demand
Questions about recruiting embedded and RF engineers
Which markets have the most embedded and RF hiring?
Dallas-Fort Worth for radars, electro-optics and aircraft, Huntsville for missiles and space, the Space Coast and Los Angeles for spacecraft and launch, Albuquerque for directed energy and space vehicles research, and Austin for semiconductors and applied research. Each metro page names the programs and companies that shape it.
Can a commercial embedded engineer move onto a defense program?
Yes, if the engineer meets the program's citizenship requirement and the contractor will sponsor a Secret investigation. Many programs start such an engineer on unclassified development while the investigation runs. The submittal records citizenship, any prior investigation and the hardware platforms the engineer has worked on.