Hardware in the Loop Test Engineer

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At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

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Leidos Defense provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world’s toughest security challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions.

Leidos Defense is seeking a talented Hardware in the Loop Test Engineer to support Hypersonics programs. The selected candidate will support integration, verification, validation, and field-testing activities for advanced air and missile defense systems.

Primary Responsibilities

• Contribute to the electrical engineering development, integration, and execution of Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) test systems supporting avionics, embedded systems, electronic hardware, and associated software.
• Develop HWIL electrical architectures that provide representative interfaces between the system under test and the simulated environment.
• Design, integrate, and troubleshoot electrical interfaces including analog, digital, discrete, serial, Ethernet, power, and other system-specific interfaces.
• Develop and integrate signal conditioning, switching, loads, power supplies, signal generation, data acquisition, instrumentation, and other HWIL interface hardware.
• Interpret system requirements, electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, interface control documents, and equipment specifications to develop effective HWIL solutions.
• Develop and maintain HWIL interface designs, wiring, cable assemblies, electrical drawings, interface documentation, and configuration information.
• Select and configure laboratory and test equipment including oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, electronic loads, signal generators, data acquisition systems, and related instrumentation.
• Support integration of real-time simulation platforms with electronic hardware and systems under test.
• Develop test cases and scenarios that exercise nominal, off-nominal, fault, startup, shutdown, degraded, and boundary operating conditions.
• Apply “test-like-you-fly” methodologies to ensure HWIL environments accurately represent operational system interfaces and conditions.
• Develop and implement automated test procedures and supporting software using Python, C/C++, C#, LabVIEW, MATLAB/Simulink, or similar tools.
• Integrate embedded software, firmware, and electronic hardware into HWIL environments to support system-level verification and validation.
• Troubleshoot complex electrical and system-level issues involving power, signal integrity, I/O, instrumentation, wiring, interfaces, communication buses, and HWIL equipment.
• Perform root-cause analysis of hardware and system failures and provide technical recommendations to electrical, software, firmware, and systems engineering teams.
• Analyze test data and instrumentation results to identify anomalies, characterize system performance, and support verification activities.
• Develop and maintain test requirements, procedures, test reports, electrical documentation, configuration records, and requirements traceability.
• Support automated regression testing and integration of HWIL test activities into software development and CI/CD environments.
• Maintain configuration control of HWIL hardware, electrical interfaces, instrumentation, test software, simulation models, and associated test artifacts.
• Collaborate with electrical, software, firmware, systems, mechanical, manufacturing, and program engineering organizations to resolve technical issues and improve product performance.
• Participate in design reviews, test readiness reviews, technical interchange meetings, customer meetings, and supplier discussions.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less-experienced engineers supporting HWIL activities.
• Support technical planning, task estimation, scheduling, equipment selection, and execution of HWIL test activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve HWIL test efficiency, repeatability, maintainability, safety, and cost effectiveness.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in electrical engineering, test engineering, HWIL/HIL development, avionics, embedded systems, or a related technical discipline.
• Demonstrated experience developing, integrating, or troubleshooting Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL), Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), automated test, or comparable verification systems.
• Strong understanding of electrical system interfaces, including analog, digital, discrete, serial, Ethernet, power, and/or other electronic interfaces.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, interface control documents, electrical specifications, and related engineering documentation.
• Experience integrating electronic hardware, instrumentation, data acquisition, signal conditioning, power systems, and automated test equipment.
• Experience using laboratory test equipment such as oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, power supplies, signal generators, electronic loads, and data acquisition equipment.
• Experience developing or supporting automated test procedures using Python, C/C++, C#, LabVIEW, MATLAB/Simulink, or similar tools.
• Familiarity with communication protocols such as Ethernet, CAN, SPI, I2C, RS-232/422/485, ARINC-429, MIL-STD-1553, or similar.
• Experience troubleshooting complex electrical and hardware/software integration issues.
• Experience with verification and validation, automated testing, regression testing, or formal test methodologies.
• Experience using Git or another configuration-management system.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across electrical, software, firmware, systems, and other engineering disciplines.
• Must be able to work full-time in Huntsville, AL.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and eligible to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Direct experience developing HWIL systems for aerospace, defense, avionics, or other safety-critical embedded systems.
• Experience with dSPACE, NI VeriStand, Speedgoat, OPAL-RT, RTDS, or similar real-time HWIL platforms.
• Experience designing custom HWIL interface electronics, signal-conditioning circuits, I/O architectures, switching systems, or load banks.
• Experience with FPGA-based systems, high-speed data acquisition, deterministic communications, or real-time I/O.
• Experience with NI PXI, cRIO, DAQ, LabVIEW, TestStand, or similar test platforms.
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and real-time simulation environments.
• Experience with avionics interfaces and protocols such as ARINC-429, MIL-STD-1553, CAN/CAN-FD, RS-422/485, Ethernet, or similar.
• Experience with PCB design, board-level electronics, power electronics, or electronic circuit troubleshooting.
• Experience with signal integrity, grounding, shielding, EMI/EMC, or electrical noise mitigation.
• Experience developing reusable HWIL electrical architectures and test infrastructure.
• Experience integrating embedded software and firmware into hardware verification environments.
• Experience with CI/CD and automated software regression environments.
• Experience with JIRA, Confluence, GitLab, GitHub, DOORS, or similar engineering tools.
• Experience with systems engineering, requirements traceability, verification planning, and formal test documentation.
• Experience with RF test, calibration/metrology, environmental testing, or other specialized electronic test methodologies.
• Experience applying aerospace/defense standards or military specifications.
• Experience supporting DoD programs or working within classified environments.
• Existing Secret security clearance.
• Experience representing engineering organizations during customer reviews, design reviews, technical interchange meetings, or supplier engagements.

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:

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and 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.