Freelance Embedded System Software Engineer Jobs in Killeen, TX

Location: TX 78613 US (Primary)

Remote/Onsite/Hybrid: 100% Onsite

Job Type: Full-time

# of Hires Needed: 1

Education: Bachelor's Degree

Travel: None

Security Clearance Required: None

Pay Range: $100,000.00 - $160,000.00/yr

Cimarron is seeking an Embedded Firmware Engineer to contribute to FPGA logic development and verification for advanced embedded systems. This work will be done at a facility located in Cedar Park, TX. This role emphasizes designing, implementing, optimizing, and verifying FPGA firmware for Microchip PolarFire SoCs, which combine RISC-V processors with low-power FPGA fabric for high-reliability applications. As the counterpart to our Linux software engineering team, you will collaborate closely on integrating FPGA logic with custom Linux distributions, ensuring seamless performance on custom hardware. You will work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment to deliver robust firmware for mission-critical space applications in industries such as aerospace, defense, and industrial automation.

Through this partnership, Cimarron supplies skilled technical talent in support of our customer's advanced launch and space systems. This customer designs and builds small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles for government and commercial missions from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Together, our teams leverage advanced carbon composite structures, patented propulsion technologies, and common components across platforms to move fast, improve reliability, and deliver payloads at a lower cost.

• Design, develop, and verify FPGA logic using VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog for Microchip PolarFire SoCs, including programmable logic, DSP blocks, and high-speed interfaces (e.g., PCIe, Ethernet, SERDES).


• Create and optimize IP cores and custom peripherals/accelerators tailored to PolarFire's architecture.


• Integrate FPGA firmware with embedded processors (e.g., RISC-V cores) and collaborate with software teams to support Board Support Packages (BSPs) and Linux kernel drivers.


• Build RTL verification environments with testbenches using UVM methodologies for design correctness and coverage.


• Perform functional verification, simulation, regression testing, and coverage analysis (e.g., functional, code, assertion).


• Conduct synthesis, place-and-route, timing analysis, and debugging using tools like Libero SoC, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes.


• Implement radiation-tolerant and fault-tolerant designs for space-grade applications.


• Develop automated test benches and CI pipelines for verification, including hardware-in-the-loop testing.


• Contribute to system architecture, security, and real-time processing requirements.


• Participate in code reviews, documentation, and stay updated on FPGA technologies and open-source contributions.

• Due to facility security requirements, only U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible for consideration at this time.


• 3-5 years of experience in embedded firmware development, with 3+ years in FPGA design and verification.


• Proficiency in VHDL/Verilog/SystemVerilog for RTL design and FPGA development.


• Hands-on experience with RTL verification, testbenches, and UVM methodologies.


• Familiarity with FPGA design flows, including simulation (e.g., ModelSim), synthesis, and Libero SoC tools.


• Knowledge of digital design principles (e.g., clock domains, pipelining, AXI/Avalon protocols) and verification concepts like constrained-random testing.


• Experience with real-time systems and FPGA integration with Linux/RTOS.


• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.

Cimarron is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

• Major Medical and Hospitalization


• Vision Care


• Preventive Care


• Ancillary Benefits
  
  
  
  • Life Insurance and AD&D
  
  
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance
  
  
  • Voluntary Long-Term Disability Insurance
  
  
  • Voluntary Additional Life and Dependent Life Insurance
  
  
  
  


• 401(k) with Company Matching


• Flexible Spending Accounts


• Direct Deposit


• Other Benefits
  
  
  
  • Paid Time Off (PTO) and Holiday Leave
  
  
  • Education Reimbursement
  
  
  • Wellness Program