Firmware Engineer
Vadum Inc · Raleigh, NC
$125,000–$180,000
Jul 15, 2026
Raleigh, NC
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A firmware engineering role centered on FPGA development, from architecture and implementation through debugging and maintenance. Day-to-day work involves writing HDL code in VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog, working with Xilinx Vivado tooling, building testbenches, and collaborating with hardware engineers. Suits an experienced engineer with a graduate-level background who holds or can obtain a US security clearance.
Senior level · 10+ years · Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · Master's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
What the occupation pays Median $138,602 (middle half $131,111–$172,430).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
The posting requires 10 years of 'relevant experience' overall and 5 years specifically in firmware development; 10 years is used as the overall years minimum per the role-level requirement.
Security clearance is listed as 'maintain Security Clearance or eligibility to obtain' — treated as a hard gate since candidates must either hold or be able to obtain one. The level is unspecified; Secret is inferred as typical for a defense-adjacent firm (Vadum, Inc.) doing FPGA/hardware work, but the exact level is not stated in the JD.
MATLAB is listed in the responsibilities section with firm language ('experience and know how to use') alongside required HDL skills, and mirrors the Required Skills framing — treated as a hard gate.
ILA (Integrated Logic Analyzer) is listed in the responsibilities as a required debug tool alongside simulations.
Linux is explicitly called 'a plus' in the Education/Experience section — listed as preferred.
Vadum, Inc. is headquartered in Morrisville/Research Triangle Park, NC; the Durham-Chapel Hill CBSA is the best match for that area.
SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers) is used as the closest fit for FPGA firmware engineering; 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is noted as a reasonable alternative since FPGA/firmware work sits at the hardware-software boundary and has no dedicated SOC code.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): FPGA design.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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