Software and Firmware Architect

As a fully owned subsidiary of the company Electronics & Defense, the company Electronics & Defense Australasia Pty Ltd (SEDA) delivers and supports various products including high-performance optronics and inertial navigation equipment. SEDA is experiencing significant growth and is seeking an experienced Software and Firmware Architect.

Responsibilities

• Own and define the software and firmware architecture across FreeRTOS (hard real-time) and Linux (time-sensitive) environments on the same SoC, including function partitioning and inter-environment interfaces.
• Set technical and coding standards and provide architectural governance for firmware and software development across the team.
• Lead architecture and design reviews, defending design decisions with customers, subcontractors, and parent company counterparts.
• Provide technical direction and mentoring to firmware and software engineers in both environments.
• Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware and software for EO/IR sensors across FreeRTOS and Linux execution environments.
• Develop hard real-time firmware in C/C++ for FreeRTOS, with a focus on deterministic processing, task synchronization, interrupt latency, and code optimization.
• Develop software for Linux, including kernel-level configuration and modification as needed to meet real-time constraints.
• Interface with FPGA-implemented IP blocks via memory-mapped register access (excluding FPGA/RTL design tasks).
• Produce software requirements, design documentation, test procedures, and verification evidence.

Preferred Attributes

• Solid planning skills and stakeholder engagement.
• Good organizational skills, with the ability to manage technical requirements and ensure their integration across multiple project areas.
• Must display initiative and be proactive in seeking solutions.
• Well-developed problem-solving skills and analytical mind.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task.
• Strong customer service ethic and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build & maintain superior customer relationships.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Must be able to work autonomously as well as within a team environment.
• Interest in advanced defence technologies.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in software engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Typically 15+ years of experience in embedded software development.
• Postgraduate qualifications in embedded systems or software engineering are advantageous; additional studies in control systems, aerospace engineering, or similar fields are desirable.
• Demonstrated experience taking products from prototype through to commercial delivery and field deployment (not just prototype development).
• Strong ability to define system architecture, allocate functions across engineering domains, and manage inter-domain interfaces.
• Proven experience in establishing and implementing verification and validation (V&V) programs, including development of Acceptance Test Procedures (ATP/ATProcs) and formal acceptance processes with Defence or commercial clients.
• Experience leading complex technical and design reviews with customers and subcontractors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage at executive, program, and technical specialist levels.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain an Australian Defence security clearance to Negative Vetting Level 1 (NV1) as a minimum.

Job Requirements

• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving abilities, with the intellectual rigor to make and defend architectural decisions.
• Technically authoritative, with the confidence to maintain positions when challenged by customers, subcontractors, or parent company counterparts.
• Proactive and anticipatory, able to identify technical risks before they escalate into program issues.
• Effective at guiding and developing engineers without relying on direct line management authority.
• Collaborative and constructive, skilled at working across organisational and national boundaries.
• Maintains high standards for documentation quality and engineering process discipline.