Embedded Engineer

We are seeking an embedded software engineer to develop and maintain low-level flight software for UAV platforms running PX4 or ArduPilot. This role involves board bring-up, writing and porting device drivers, working directly with MCU peripherals and hardware buses, and getting firmware onto flight controllers reliably and repeatably. The engineer will work at the bottom of the UAV stack — from bootloaders and RTOS internals up to MAVLink-level system behavior — while maintaining a strong focus on reliability and practical field performance.

This position requires someone who is equally comfortable in a datasheet, a debugger, and on a bench with a logic analyzer. The ideal candidate enjoys hardware/software boundary problems, can diagnose an issue whether it originates in silicon or in code, and takes ownership of projects from schematic review through flight validation.

MUST HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN US

Responsibilities

• Develop and modify PX4 (NuttX) or ArduPilot (ChibiOS) firmware, including board support packages and hardware definitions for new flight controller targets
• Write, port, and debug device drivers over UART, I2C, SPI, CAN/DroneCAN, and USB for sensors, rangefinders, radios, gimbals, and payloads
• Bring up new hardware from bare board to flying vehicle: clocks, power rails, pin muxing, peripheral configuration, and first-boot validation
• Build, flash, and debug firmware and bootloaders using SWD/JTAG probes (J-Link, ST-Link), and maintain reliable field update paths (bootloader flashing, MAVLink FTP, parameter and storage layout)
• Implement and validate MAVLink message handling and interfaces between the flight controller, companion computers, and ground stations
• Diagnose timing, interrupt, DMA, memory, and bus-level issues at the bench using an oscilloscope, logic analyzer (Saleae or similar), CAN bus analyzer, and bench supply with current monitoring
• Conduct bench and flight testing, analyze flight logs and telemetry, and resolve firmware issues found in the field
• Document hardware interfaces, driver behavior, bring-up procedures, and design decisions

Required Qualifications

• Strong C and C++ programming skills in resource-constrained embedded environments
• Hands-on experience with ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers (STM32 or similar), including peripheral configuration from the datasheet and reference manual
• Practical experience with UART, I2C, SPI, and CAN — including debugging them on real hardware, not just calling an API
• Experience flashing and debugging embedded targets over SWD/JTAG, and working with bootloaders and firmware update mechanisms
• Comfort working in an RTOS or bare-metal context (interrupts, DMA, task scheduling, memory constraints)
• Experience debugging complex software and hardware interactions with lab instrumentation — oscilloscope, logic analyzer, protocol decoders, and a multimeter as second nature
• Ability to work independently, take ownership of engineering tasks, and exercise practical engineering judgment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience modifying or contributing to PX4 or ArduPilot codebases, particularly drivers or board configuration
• Familiarity with MAVLink, autopilot parameters, and flight log analysis
• Experience with DroneCAN/Cyphal, DShot or other ESC protocols, or PWM/timer-driven peripherals
• Experience integrating IMUs, barometers, magnetometers, GPS, LiDAR, or camera modules at the driver level
• Experience building or configuring drones from components, and reading schematics well enough to work with hardware engineers
• Personal robotics, UAV, or embedded systems projects

What We Value

• Engineers who build and experiment outside of work
• Strong ownership and accountability for outcomes
• Practical, hands-on problem solving
• Clear communication and collaboration within small teams
• Curiosity and continuous learning