Embedded Software Engineer Verified today
The Role
Own real-time software for spacecraft subsystems including power distribution, thermal control, and related avionics boards. You will span the full lifecycle: board bring-up, driver and application development, hardware/software debugging, and supporting reliable firmware updates for hardware in the field and on orbit. After ramp-up, you'll be the standing owner of a meaningful piece of the embedded software stack.
What You'll Do
- Own embedded software for spacecraft subsystems from concept through on-orbit operations
- Design, develop, and debug real-time embedded software for microcontroller-based avionics boards in FreeRTOS and bare-metal environments
- Implement low-level drivers, peripheral interfaces, and real-time control loops for power distribution, thermal control, sensors, and actuators
- Build and maintain software supporting board bring-up and safe, robust in-field and in-flight firmware update mechanisms
- Integrate with and develop robust command and telemetry infrastructure
- Work at the software-to-hardware boundary: read schematics, understand pinouts, drive physical hardware, and diagnose issues spanning firmware or hardware
- Build robust, fault-tolerant systems with attention to reliability, determinism, and performance in constrained environments
- Support board bring-up, hardware integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing
- Develop automated test frameworks and validation tooling for embedded systems
- Collaborate closely with electrical, avionics, and software teams to define system architecture and interfaces
- Investigate anomalies, perform root cause analysis, and implement fixes across hardware/software boundaries
- Contribute to system-level design including fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategies
Required
- 3+ years of embedded software or firmware development experience (or equivalent practical experience)
- Strong C/C++ programming for embedded systems
- Experience developing for embedded microcontrollers with RTOS-based (e.g., FreeRTOS) and/or bare-metal environments
- Comfortable working at the hardware boundary: reading schematics, using debugging tools (JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers), understanding electrical behavior
- Experience with hardware/software integration and board bring-up
- Ability to own a subsystem largely independently after ramp-up
Preferred
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
- Experience developing embedded software for aerospace, automotive, robotics, or other high-reliability systems
- Experience with embedded communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN) and embedded networking stacks
- Experience building or working with firmware update and bootloader systems for deployed or remote hardware
- Understanding of fault-tolerant design, redundancy, and high-reliability system architecture
- Experience with HITL testing and system validation
- Familiarity with Python or scripting for test automation and tooling; interest or experience in Rust for embedded development is a plus
- Experience working in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles
- Exposure to radiation-tolerant design considerations for space systems
Compensation and Benefits
- Salary: $130,000 - $185,000 annually
- Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement savings plan
- Paid time off
- 10 paid holidays per calendar year
- Paid parental leave
- Relocation assistance if applicable
- Daily lunch in the office and fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks
ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.