Principal Embedded Engineer

Job Position: Principal Embedded Engineer
Location: El Segundo, CA
Duration: Full time
Salary Range: $200K $310K/Year







Note: Client is looking someone who have Hands-on experience with an RTOS (Zephyr, NuttX, ThreadX, etc.), including low-level bring-up and porting.




Overview:
Client is seeking a Principal Embedded Software Engineer to set the technical direction for embedded software across instrumentation and control (I&C) systems. You will define architecture, establish engineering standards, and personally drive the development of mission-critical, highly performant embedded systems that interface with sensors and actuators at the heart of a first-of-its-kind reactor design. The ideal candidate thrives in ambiguous early-stage environments, can make high-consequence technical decisions with incomplete information, and leaves a lasting organizational imprint through the systems and culture they build. You will have the opportunity to shape the embedded software foundation of the first commercialized portable nuclear microreactor, technology that will redefine how the world accesses clean, reliable power.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Define and own the embedded software architecture for I&C systems, establishing patterns and standards that scale across the full program lifecycle.
• Lead design and development of reliable, fault-tolerant embedded software for production hardware operating in demanding environments.
• Develop and bring up new drivers for I&C hardware across a range of sensing and actuation subsystems.
• Serve as the senior technical voice in design reviews, setting the bar for rigor, surfacing systemic risks, and driving decisions that span multiple subsystems and teams.
• Own the full engineering lifecycle, from architecture through test, build, and field implementation, and set expectations for how the team executes that lifecycle.
• Establish robust hardware and software testing frameworks, validation methodology, and documentation standards that meet rigorous safety requirements.
• Mentor embedded engineers across the team; model technical excellence and engineering judgment.
• Partner with electrical, controls, and hardware engineering leadership to align on cross-disciplinary interfaces and constraints.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of industry experience in embedded software, including significant ownership of system-level architecture decisions.
• Demonstrated experience driving architecture across complex, multi-subsystem embedded programs, not just feature ownership.
• Hands-on experience with an RTOS (Zephyr, NuttX, ThreadX, etc.), including low-level bring-up and porting.
• Deep proficiency in embedded C/C++.
• Track record of influencing technical direction beyond your immediate team, through documentation, standards, or cross-functional alignment.
• Strong communicator capable of driving consensus across engineering, program, and leadership stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications and Skills:

• Experience with Zephyr RTOS at an architectural or maintainer level.
• Experience working with Simulink Autocode C++ export in a production context.
• Experience with CMake in large, multi-target embedded builds.
• Proficiency in reading and interpreting hardware schematics; ability to debug at the hardware/software boundary.
• Experience in safety-critical or high-reliability domains (aerospace, defense, medical, nuclear, or industrial).