Manufacturing, Engineering Services

Guidance Software Engineer

El Segundo, CAOnsiteFull Time$160,000–$280,000 /yrPosted 24 days agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

Guidance Software Engineer
R&D
guidance software
clean sheet airframe design
guidance and navigation software
COTS software frameworks
airframe design
system integration
flight hardware
object-oriented software development

Nice to have

DoD security clearance
EO/IR sensor integration
radar sensor integration
firmware development
VHDL
embedded software development flow

Role summary

CHAOS Industries is seeking a Senior Guidance Software Engineer for its R&D team in Los Angeles. This role involves leading the design of guidance software for a new airframe, implementing guidance and navigation algorithms within COTS frameworks, and supporting system integration on flight hardware. The position requires 10+ years of experience in object-oriented software development, practical understanding of flight dynamics, and extensive experience with microcontroller and Linux-based embedded systems. Experience with real-time embedded software, hardware interfaces, and Agile methodologies is essential. Preferred qualifications include DoD security clearance, sensor integration experience, and CI/CD expertise.

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

CHAOS is seeking a highly-skilled and motivated Senior Guidance Software Engineer to join our R&D team. You will get an opportunity to lead the design of our guidance software on a clean sheet airframe design. As a member of Engineering, you also have the opportunity to expand your skillset across our product families. 

Responsibilities:

Implementation of guidance and navigation software within COTS software frameworks

Support airframe design activities

Support system integration of software on flight hardware

Work full-time on-site in our office in Los Angeles (Hawthorne), California

Minimum Requirements:

Minimum education: Bachelor’s or higher Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related degree

10+ years of experience in professional, object-oriented software development

Experience with design and implementation of guidance algorithms for UAS platforms using commercial autopilot frameworks like ArduPilot

Practical understanding of flight dynamics of fixed wing and rotary wing platforms

Solid understanding and extensive experience in software development on microcontroller architectures (STM32 or similar) and on Linux hosted on Nvidia Jetson, AMD/Xilinx SoC or Microblaze architectures

Experience developing real-time embedded software to include hardware interfaces

Experience with integration of vendor provided low-level drivers and firmware

Experience with Agile lifecycle processes including Scrum, Continuous Integration, and Test-Driven Development Methodologies

Ability to work with minimal supervision and collaborate on small teams

U.S. Person status is required as this position will require the ability to access U.S.-only data system

Preferred Requirements: 

Current or previous DoD security clearance 

Part 107 remote pilot certification

Experience with EO/IR sensor integration

Experience with radar sensor integration

Experience with firmware development using VHDL and embedded software development flow on AMD/Xilinx FPGAs

Experience with git

Experience with production-level SW development & deployment, including DevOps, DevSecOps, and/or Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) using modern FOSS/COTS toolsets

Experience with full lifecycle SW development of high-TRL systems

Experience with HW/SW I&T and V&V of high-TRL systems

Why CHAOS?

Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company

Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more

Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code

Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses

Team Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $160,000 - $280,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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