Embedded Engineer

About the role

Xcimer Energy leverages decades of research on Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) combined with groundbreaking new laser architecture. Our mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. Xcimer has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by leading investors, Xcimer is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. Join us in powering a better world with inertial fusion!

This is a full-time, onsite role based at our headquarters in Denver, CO.

As an Embedded Engineer, you will apply your skills to the design, bring-up, and integration of custom electronics and the firmware that runs on them, for systems that sense, time, control, and protect Xcimer's laser and pulsed power systems, initially in support of Xcimer's directed energy program, which is developing multi-kilojoule-class pulsed lasers for air defense applications.

Working within the Electrical Engineering department, you will own boards and their firmware from requirements through fabrication, bring-up, test, and deployment, working independently on problems of diverse scope with review at key design milestones. We are looking for our engineers to apply their technical expertise, problem solving skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact the future of energy!

Responsibilities

• Design, simulate, and lay out mixed-signal printed circuit boards, including schematic capture, component selection, and multi-layer layout in Altium Designer.
• Design, implement, and maintain firmware for microcontroller and FPGA SoC based boards in C/C++, including drivers, board support, communication stacks, and application logic.
• Own assigned boards and their firmware end to end: derive requirements with system owners, produce design documentation, present at design reviews, manage fabrication and assembly, and support installation and commissioning.
• Perform board bring-up and debug at the register and signal level, root-cause hardware and firmware issues together, and close out findings through documented design changes.
• Implement deterministic, real-time control and data acquisition, including interrupt handling, DMA, timing and trigger capture, and RTOS based execution.
• Integrate custom electronics with the broader control system, including PLC and EtherCAT I/O, LabVIEW and Python based data acquisition, and precision timing and trigger networks.
• Develop test procedures, automated test fixtures, hardware-in-the-loop tests, and regression tests, and document verification and acceptance results.
• Solicit feedback from end users such as operators, physicists, and controls engineers, and close the design loop through iterative improvements.
• Lead small projects or work packages, coordinating with controls, mechanical, software, and manufacturing teams, and begin mentoring junior engineers and interns.
• Contribute to Electrical Engineering department standards, including design guides, component libraries, coding standards, shared firmware libraries, and design review practices.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related STEM field; an advanced degree is a plus.
• Experience: Typically 5+ years of relevant experience spanning embedded hardware and firmware development, or a PhD with relevant hands-on embedded experience.
• Solid foundation in:
• Analog and digital circuit design, including mixed-signal PCB design and power supply design
• Embedded C/C++ on bare-metal and RTOS based targets, including peripheral configuration at the register level
• Real-time systems, interrupts, DMA, and deterministic timing
• Signal integrity, grounding, and EMI/EMC fundamentals
• Proficient in debugging hardware and firmware together using JTAG/SWD debuggers, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers.
• Working knowledge of microcontroller families (ARM Cortex-M such as STM32, NXP, or TI) and at least one RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar).
• Working knowledge of common communication interfaces, including SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, and USB.
• Experience with version control (Git) and structured design and code review processes.
• Ability to work independently on problems of diverse scope, with work reviewed at critical milestones, and to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance if required by future program work; a clearance is not required at the time of hire.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Desired

• Education: Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related STEM field
• Experience designing electronics and firmware for high voltage, pulsed power, or laser environments, including isolation, fiber optic signaling, interlocks, and fault handling.
• Experience with FPGA development (Xilinx/AMD, Intel, or Microchip), HDL, and high-speed ADC/DAC interfaces.
• Experience with embedded Linux (Yocto or Buildroot, device trees, kernel drivers) on ARM SoC platforms.
• Familiarity with industrial control platforms (Beckhoff TwinCAT/EtherCAT, PLCs) and protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus, or EPICS.
• Proficiency in design principles for data acquisition, signal processing, and test automation.
• Experience with precision timing and trigger distribution (PTP, White Rabbit, IRIG).
• Knowledge of DFM/DFT practices and experience working with contract manufacturers.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers or leading small projects.

Benefits

Xcimer offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee health, well-being, and long-term success. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; basic and supplemental life insurance; short- and long-term disability; paid parental leave for employees at the time of birth or adoption; and a 401(k) with a company match of up to 6%. Eligible employees also receive equity, allowing them to share in the company's long-term success.

• Xcimer operates under a flexible Paid Time Off (ATO) approach.
• Rather than a fixed number of vacation days, employees are trusted to take the time they need to rest and recharge while meeting the expectations of their role and team.
• In addition, employees receive paid sick time, 13 company-paid holidays, and an annual paid company shutdown.
• Benefits are available to regular employees, including part-time and fixed-term roles, as well as interns, with eligibility varying by benefit.