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Contract Emulation Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Solutions³ LLC

SME Hardware Reverse Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$142K - $187K/yr

Contract personnel perform investigations to characterize the severity of breaches, develop ... Utilize and enhance KI2 system emulation capabilities for hardware analysis * Document exploitation ...

Solutions3 LLC

SME Hardware Reverse Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$142K - $187K/yr

Contract personnel perform investigations to characterize the severity of breaches, develop ... Utilize and enhance KI2 system emulation capabilities for hardware analysis * Document exploitation ...

Solutions³ LLC

SME Hardware Reverse Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

$142K - $187K/yr

Contract personnel perform investigations to characterize the severity of breaches, develop ... Utilize and enhance KI2 system emulation capabilities for hardware analysis * Document exploitation ...

AVTC Group

Senior FPGA Engineer (DOD cleared)

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$122K - $157K/yr

... or Contract Rate: open to Negotiation Benefits: including Health, Dental Vision, PTO, Holidays ... Experience with emulation platforms such as Veloce. * Strong technical documentation and review ...

AVTC Group

Principal FPGA Engineer (DOD cleared)

Tucson, AZ · On-site

$122K - $157K/yr

... or Contract Rate: open to Negotiation Benefits: including Health, Dental Vision, PTO, Holidays ... Experience with emulation platforms such as Veloce. * Strong technical documentation and review ...

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How much do contract emulation engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 11, 2026, the average hourly pay for contract emulation engineer in the United States is $53.63, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $43.27 and $62.26 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are Contract Emulation Engineers?

Contract Emulation Engineers are specialized professionals who design, develop, and test hardware or software systems that replicate the functionality of electronic components or systems—often under a contract arrangement. Their work is crucial in industries like semiconductor, automotive, and aerospace, where they help validate designs before physical prototypes are built. They use tools such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) and emulation platforms to simulate real-world performance, enabling faster and more cost-effective development cycles. Typically, they collaborate with design teams to ensure that emulated systems accurately mirror intended behaviors and facilitate efficient debugging.

What are some typical challenges Contract Emulation Engineers face when working with new hardware designs?

Contract Emulation Engineers often encounter challenges when integrating complex, new hardware designs into emulation platforms. These can include debugging compatibility issues, optimizing performance to match real-world scenarios, and ensuring accurate representation of the hardware's behavior. Collaboration with design engineers and verification teams is key to quickly resolving issues and delivering reliable results on tight project timelines. Staying updated with the latest emulation tools and methodologies also helps in overcoming these technical hurdles.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Contract Emulation Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Contract Emulation Engineer, you need a strong background in hardware design, verification methodologies, and programming languages such as SystemVerilog, along with a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with emulation platforms like Cadence Palladium, Mentor Veloce, or Synopsys ZeBu, and industry-standard verification tools, is typically required. Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for collaborating with cross-functional teams and debugging complex systems. These capabilities are essential for efficiently validating hardware designs, ensuring product reliability, and meeting project deadlines in high-stakes environments.
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Contract Emulation Engineer jobs near you
SME Hardware Reverse Engineer

SME Hardware Reverse Engineer

Solutions³ LLC

Arlington, VA • On-site

$142K - $187K/yr

Full-time

Posted 11 days ago

Job description

Title: Subject Matter Expert II
Description: 
Solutions³ LLC is supporting a U.S. Government customer to support for onsite incident response to civilian Government agencies and critical asset owners who experience cyber-attacks, providing immediate investigation and resolution. Contract personnel perform investigations to characterize the severity of breaches, develop mitigation plans, and assist with the restoration of services.
Solutions³ LLC is seeking an experienced and technically proficient Subject Matter Expert (SME) Hardware Reverse Engineer to provide specialized expertise in hardware reverse engineering focused on operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems. This position requires deep technical knowledge of proprietary hardware systems, exploitation methodologies, and defensive strategies to support forensic investigations of compromised edge devices and systems where threat actors have embedded malware deeply within hardware components.
This position focuses on the analytical and investigative aspects of hardware forensics, with particular emphasis on operational technology and industrial control systems. The ideal candidates will have strong reverse engineering skills and deep understanding of threat actor methodologies targeting critical infrastructure.  
Eligibility: 
  • Must be a US Citizen 
  • Must have an active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain a TS/SCI  
  • Must be able to obtain DHS Suitability prior to starting employment  
  • 10+ years of experience in hardware reverse engineering or embedded systems analysis
Responsibilities Include: 
  • Conduct comprehensive hardware reverse engineering of OT and ICS devices
  • Analyze network-edge devices and embedded systems compromised by advanced threats
  • Perform deep-dive analysis of proprietary hardware targeted by adversaries
  • Conduct reverse engineering, failure analysis, vulnerability analysis, and other research techniques to understand complex hardware systems, assess the functionality of components, and identify exploitation risks
  • Identify and extract deeply embedded malware from hardware components
  • Reverse engineer firmware and low-level software on embedded devices
  • Collaborate with Solutions³ LLC research teams to leverage cutting-edge analytical capabilities
  • Utilize and enhance KI2 system emulation capabilities for hardware analysis
  • Document exploitation methodologies and defensive countermeasures
  • Develop standard operating procedures for hardware forensics workflows
  • Train CSD analysts on hardware reverse engineering techniques
  • Provide expert consultation on edge device security and vulnerabilities
  • Support forensic investigations in environments lacking EDR visibility
  • Analyze proprietary communication protocols and embedded systems functions
  • Identify hardware backdoors, implants, and malicious modifications
  • Collaborate with electrical engineers on chip-off forensics procedures
  • Provide reach-back support to operational analysts during active investigations
  • Contribute to research initiatives on emerging hardware threats
  • Document technical findings and intelligence for stakeholder dissemination
Required Skills: 
  • Deep expertise in OT/ICS hardware platforms and vulnerabilities
  • Ability to analyze novel or proprietary systems with limited documentation
  • Strong communication skills for explaining complex technical findings
  • Experience working collaboratively in research-oriented environments
  • Strong experience with firmware reverse engineering and analysis
  • Proficiency with reverse engineering tools (IDA Pro, Ghidra, Binary Ninja)
  • Deep understanding of ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, and other embedded processor architectures
  • Experience analyzing network-edge devices (routers, switches, firewalls, IoT devices)
  • Knowledge of hardware debugging interfaces (JTAG, SWD, UART)
  • Strong programming and scripting skills (Python, C, Assembly)
  • Understanding of exploitation techniques targeting embedded systems
  • Experience with malware analysis in hardware/firmware contexts
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities
Desired Skills:  
  • Experience supporting federal cybersecurity or critical infrastructure protection programs
  • Experience performing inspection, imaging, decapsulation, deprocessing, and other activities related to hardware reverse engineering and exploitation in a state-of-the-art microelectronics exploitation laboratory
  • Background in offensive security or penetration testing of OT environments
  • Advanced certifications in reverse engineering (GREM, GXPN, or similar)
  • Experience with SCADA, PLC, RTU, and other industrial control components
  • Knowledge of critical infrastructure sector technologies (energy, utilities, manufacturing)
  • Familiarity with supply chain security and hardware implant detection
  • Experience with system emulation platforms and virtual hardware analysis
  • Understanding of threat actor TTPs targeting OT and edge devices
  • Background in electronics manufacturing or hardware security research
  • Experience with chip decapsulation and invasive hardware analysis techniques
Desired Certifications:  
  • DoD 8140 IAT Level III
  • Project Management Professional
Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or related discipline; Master’s degree or PhD preferred

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