Full-Time
Embedded Systems Engineer
Posted on 10/31/2025
HRL Laboratories
501-1,000 employees
Cognitive systems R&D for human-machine collaboration
Compensation Overview
$128k - $159.9k/yr
Delano, CA, USA
In Person
US Top Secret Clearance Required
 Electrical Engineering (2) |
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- Experience with C/C++, Python, and MATLAB, and other low-level languages
- 3+ years of Experience with circuit board design and evaluation
- 3+ years of Experience in low-level programming, especially for embedded platforms
- Experience with PCB design, assembly, and PCB layout software
- Ability to write test and control software for complex and varied systems
- Ability to rapidly prototype with evaluation platforms
- Experience with RF and high-speed digital test equipment
- Knowledge of Xilinx Zynq SoCs
- Familiarity with different families of FPGAs, DSPs, and microcontrollers is desired
- Working knowledge of RF components, communication systems, radar systems, and EW systems is a plus
- Applicant must be able to interact professionally with program managers, co-workers, and customers
- Operate complex electronic equipment
- Perform detailed analyses of integrated circuits and prepare written and oral presentations
- Ability to work well in a team and independently
- B.S. or M.S. in Electrical and/or Computer Engineering
- US citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain US Government security clearance
- Contribute technical expertise and work within a focused team that designs, fabricates, integrates, and tests RF and electromagnetic components and subsystems at frequencies below 0.1 to 200+ GHz
- Work closely with scientists and engineers to provide support in developing state-of-the-art RF subsystems for communication, radar, and EW applications
- Additional job functions include solving customer problems, writing invention disclosures, publishing papers, briefing customers, participating in proposal activities, and assisting in marketing HRL expertise
- Familiarity with different families of FPGAs, DSPs, and microcontrollers is desired
HRL Laboratories conducts research and development in cognitive systems and human–machine collaboration for defense and high-tech clients. It creates AI/ML-powered cognitive architectures and interfaces that help machines understand sensemaking and assist human memory, enabling more autonomous and scalable decision-making systems. Its solutions are built through project-based work for government agencies, defense contractors, and private sector partners, often involving patented technologies and collaborations with academia. The company differentiates itself with a focus on integrated cognitive architectures, memory enhancement techniques, and neurosynchrony, applying these to real-world applications in government and industry. Its goal is to improve how humans and machines interact to enhance cognitive performance and decision quality across complex, high-stakes environments.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$2M
Headquarters
Malibu, California
Founded
1997
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- 40nm GaN-on-SiC reaches MRL-6, transitioning to MACOM for scaled RF production.
- Low-Chill 3D-printed cooling boosts GPU capacity 40% under ARPA-E funding.
- spinQICK open-source release builds quantum computing developer ecosystem.
What critics are saying
- Mass layoff of 258 employees on February 3, 2026, triggers WARN Act lawsuits.
- MACOM captures GaN manufacturing revenue, eroding HRL's production control.
- Prodways commercializes PDC 3D printing, diverting clients from HRL.
What makes HRL Laboratories unique
- HRL Laboratories advances cognitive architectures like ICArUS for human-machine sensemaking.
- MEMES project enhances human memory via encoding strength modulation.
- Jointly owned by Boeing and GM since 1997, prioritizing purpose over profit.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
401(k) Company Match
Gym Membership
Paid Vacation
Company News
HRL Laboratories has achieved Manufacturing Readiness Level 6 for its 40-nanometer gallium nitride on silicon carbide technology through the Office of the Under Secretary of War. The milestone confirms the manufacturability of HRL's RF-GaN technology for defence and commercial applications, with repeatable process control and supply chain stability meeting US Department of War standards. HRL is preparing to transition high-volume manufacturing to MACOM, as announced in November 2025, whilst maintaining low-volume engineering foundry access for qualified customers. The company will continue offering multi-project wafer capability alongside scalable production. The technology is compatible with three-dimensional heterogeneous integration architectures, enabling integration with digital control electronics and beamforming networks. HRL has operated an open foundry offering GaN processes since 2019. The company is jointly owned by Boeing and GM.
With ARPA-E backing, HRL Laboratories advances 3D printed cooling for more efficient Data Centers. In the report "AM for Data Centers: a 3D Printing Market Opportunity" that I wrote last year for Additive Manufacturing Research (AMR), I referenced Theodore Maiman, the man credited with inventing the first working laser, while he was employed by Hughes Aircraft Company. Maiman famously said that lasers were "a solution in search of a problem," and I used that as an analogy for how the complex geometries enabled by AM are a solution in search of a problem that is thermal management. I didn't realize that some version of Hughes Aircraft Company (as in Howard Hughes) is still around: it is now HRL Laboratories, a Malibu-based R&D venture that is, fascinatingly, jointly owned by Boeing and General Motors. I bring up this anecdote not solely to plug the data center report, but, more importantly, because HRL Laboratories has just announced a 3D printed, direct liquid cooling (DLC) solution that the company developed in part thanks to funding from the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) ARPA-E program. In 2022, ARPA-E launched COOLERCHIPS, a project call with the aim of drastically lowering cooling costs for data centers, which costs currently account for 40 percent - sometimes more - of a data center's energy expenditure. According to HRL Laboratories, the Low-Chill solution uses a 3D printed manifold "to distribute coolant through hundreds of short flow paths", without a need for vaporizing and recondensing the coolant: this makes it a 'single-phase' cooling system, in contrast to more expensive two-phase cooling systems. HRL Laboratories claims that the Low-Chill cooling technology increases cooling capacity by 40 percent under equivalent pumping power compared to existing solutions, and notes that the design is scalable to achieve the same performance for multi-chip modules. The company also states that Low-Chill is built to handle the more intense cooling requirements of the next generation of chips from NVIDIA. In a press release about HRL Laboratories' launch of the Low-Chill cooling solution for data centers, Christopher Roper, HRL's principal investigator and the technical lead for the company's COOLERCHIPS project, said, "We designed this technology with real data center constraints in mind. By rethinking how coolant is delivered at the block level, we can cool far more powerful processors using single-phase liquid cooling that fits within today's data center architectures and operational risk profiles." Nothing like a major military conflict snarling global energy supply chains to remind everyone that all critical infrastructure is, ultimately, national security infrastructure. It looks like I will continue linking to this post from late January 2026 and this one from the end of 2022, over and over again, for the foreseeable future. In a world where physical security operations follow the lead of cybersecurity operations as opposed to the other way around, data centers are thus arguably the quintessential national security chokepoints of its day. Couple this with the fact that data centers and military tensions are now in a race to see which can drive up energy bills more quickly, and it becomes clear why making data centers more energy efficient is kind of where all the global economy's most daunting challenges converge. So, while defense tech startup CEOs may triumphantly boast to everyone that they told them so about how the US will disintegrate without more hypersonics, the US may actually disintegrate without more clean energy solutions. The exchange of missiles won't last forever, but the effects on fossil fuel prices will endure much longer. In no way is this meant to suggest that higher prices compare on any level to the loss of human life. Rather, the point is that if global powers can become less dependent on energy sources imported from overseas, then, in the long run, 3dprintboard may see fewer pointless conflicts driven by myopic competition over resources. Images courtesy of HRL Laboratories Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
HRL Laboratories has developed Low-Chill, a single-phase direct liquid cooling technology that increases processor cooling capability by 40% or reduces pumping power by over 10 times. The breakthrough enables unprecedented GPU and rack power densities in data centres without the complexity of two-phase cooling systems. Developed under the US Department of Energy's ARPA-E COOLERCHIPS programme, the technology uses a 3D-printed manifold that distributes coolant through hundreds of short flow paths directly over processors. Testing demonstrated thermal interface resistance of 8.2°C/kW and pressure drop below 1 psi per cooling block. The system supports coolant inlet temperatures up to 70°C, enabling compatibility with dry air coolers and reducing water consumption. HRL is seeking development partners to incorporate the technology into next-generation data centre cooling infrastructure.
HRL Laboratories WARN Act investigation. Strauss Borrelli PLLC, a leading class action law firm, is investigating HRL Laboratories, LLC ("HRL Laboratories") regarding its recent potential mass layoff in Malibu, California. The WARN Act is a federal law that requires certain employers to notify their employees, in writing, at least 60 days before a plant closing or mass layoff takes effect. As a result, we believe HRL Laboratories employees may be entitled to 60 days of severance pay and benefits. What happened? On February 3, 2026, HRL Laboratories notified the California Employment Development Department of its decision to conduct a mass layoff at its facility in Malibu, California. The federal law, known as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, requires covered employers to provide 60 days' prior written notice to employees, their representatives, and certain government parties in the event of a mass layoff or plant closing. We are investigating whether HRL Laboratories failed to provide at least 60 days' notice before laying off 258 employees and, therefore, violated the WARN Act. About The WARN Act: The WARN Act is a federal law passed in 1988 by Congress that requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide a 60-day notice of significant layoffs or plant closings. This notice gives workers and their families time to prepare for job loss, seek new employment, and pursue training or retraining opportunities. The WARN Act aims to reduce the impact of sudden job loss on workers and communities by ensuring they have sufficient time to transition. Generally, employees must receive a WARN Act notice if they are laid off or if their hours are cut by 50% or more in any six-month period because of a plant closing or mass layoff. It is possible that a temporary layoff may still violate the WARN Act if it ends up lasting longer than six months. Employers who do not follow the WARN Act rules, either by giving notice too late or providing unclear notices, may have to pay employees back pay and benefits for the time they were in violation. If you or someone you know were laid off from HRL Laboratories, LLC ("HRL Laboratories") in Malibu, California, we would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies. Please fill out the form below or contact us at 872.263.1100 or [email protected] About HRL Laboratories: HRL Laboratories, headquartered in Malibu, California, is a research and development company focusing on advanced technologies in areas such as materials science, microelectronics, sensors, and aerospace related systems. If you or someone you know were laid off from HRL Laboratories, LLC ("HRL Laboratories") in Malibu, California: We would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies. Please fill out the form below or contact us at 872.263.1100 or [email protected]. Contact Us Learn about your legal rights The WARN Act is a federal law passed in 1988 by Congress that requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide a 60-day notice of significant layoffs or plant closings. This notice gives workers and their families time to prepare for job loss, seek new employment, and pursue training or retraining opportunities. The WARN Act aims to reduce the impact of sudden job loss on workers and communities by ensuring they have sufficient time to transition. Generally, employees must receive a WARN Act notice if they are laid off or if their hours are cut by 50% or more in any six-month period because of a plant closing or mass layoff. It is possible that a temporary layoff may still violate the WARN Act if it ends up lasting longer than six months. Employers who do not follow the WARN Act rules, either by giving notice too late or providing unclear notices, may have to pay employees back pay and benefits for the time they were in violation. February 12, 2026 February 11, 2026 Featured blog posts. October 23, 2024 October 21, 2024 October 11, 2024 March 11, 2024 December 1, 2024 October 25, 2024 October 23, 2024 October 21, 2024 October 11, 2024 March 11, 2024 December 1, 2024 October 25, 2024 October 23, 2024 October 21, 2024 October 11, 2024 March 11, 2024
Prodways, a French manufacturer of industrial 3D printers, has worked with HRL Laboratories in California to investigate how polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) can be additively manufactured without introducing critical defects.