Senior Flight Software Engineer
Role summary
We are seeking a Senior Flight Software Engineer for a stealth-mode Aerospace & Defense startup. You will design and develop mission-critical, real-time embedded software for advanced aerospace and defense systems. This role involves full lifecycle development, including integration with sensors and communication subsystems, and testing in simulation and HITL/SITL environments. The ideal candidate has strong C/C++ skills, experience with embedded Linux, sensor integration (IMU, GPS), and GNC systems, and is comfortable working close to hardware. You will contribute to high-reliability software meeting rigorous safety, performance, and security standards.
About The Company
We are a stealth-mode Aerospace & Defense startup headquartered in Gardena, CA. Our founding team hails from SpaceX, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin, and we are backed by Joint Staff-level military leadership and several Silicon Valley firms. With a world-class business development & leadership team already in place, we are well positioned to capitalize on already overwhelming demand.
Job Overview
As a Flight Software Engineer, you will design and develop mission-critical software that enables the operation of advanced aerospace and defense systems. You will work closely with cross-functional engineering teams to translate system requirements into reliable, real-time embedded software, integrating with avionics hardware, sensors, and communication subsystems. This role involves contributing across the full software development lifecycle, including design, implementation, testing, and validation in simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments. The ideal candidate is passionate about building high-reliability software that meets the rigorous safety, performance, and security standards required for defense missions.
What You’ll Work On
- Real-time flight software architecture for autonomous systems
- Guidance, navigation, and control software integration with onboard sensors
- Interfaces with IMUs, GPS, seekers, and motor/actuation systems
- High-reliability communication between processors (CAN, UART, Ethernet, etc.)
- Hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) and software-in-the-loop (SITL) testing infrastructure
- Telemetry, logging, and system health monitoring
- Flight test support and debugging
- Our systems run across heterogeneous compute environments ranging from embedded microcontrollers to Linux flight computers, and must perform reliably under strict timing and resource constraints.
Qualifications
- Strong C or C++ in performance-critical systems
- Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineer, or Computer Engineering
- 7+ years of experience working a Flight Software Engineer
- Real-time or near-real-time software
- Sensor integration (IMU, GPS, cameras, radar, etc.)
- Experience with working along side Guidance / navigation / control systems team
- Linux-based embedded platforms
- Hardware bring-up and debugging
- You should be comfortable working close to the hardware, reading datasheets, debugging buses, and instrumenting systems in flight tests.
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