Senior Embedded Systems & Controls Software Engineer, Flight Systems

Write the software that decides how an aircraft behaves

Our client is a fast-growing aerospace company building flight-critical systems, and they're rethinking how aircraft get designed, built, and scaled. They combine startup speed with real aerospace discipline, using automation, AI-driven tools, and a connected digital backbone to go from concept to flying hardware faster than legacy programs can. Your code will run on an aircraft that flies.

The role

You'll design and own the supervisory control layer: the logic that coordinates actuators, motor drives, power, and flight-level systems. You'll define how the system powers up, operates, and recovers when something goes wrong. The focus is system behavior and correctness, not inner-loop control tuning.

You won't write code and hand it off. You'll be in the lab, running your logic on real flight controller hardware, and you'll own it from architecture through bring-up.

What you'll do

• Architect the state machines, sequencing, and mode management for power-up, normal operation, degraded modes, and fault recovery
• Write safety-critical embedded code in C/C++, and use MATLAB/Simulink for model-based design and MIL/SIL/HIL validation
• Bring up hardware alongside EEs, debugging with scopes and logic analyzers until behavior is predictable
• Define how subsystems communicate over CAN, SPI, and Ethernet, and document the interfaces
• Shape the software architecture and process as the team grows, with real influence on system-level decisions

What you bring

• 5+ years of embedded software on real-time hardware, with time spent on physical systems and not only simulation
• Strong C/C++ and real-time software architecture
• Experience with MATLAB/Simulink and model-based design
• Solid grasp of CAN, SPI, or similar protocols, including fault handling
• Comfort in the lab, and a habit of chasing problems across software, hardware, and system boundaries

Bonus: TI C2000, NXP, or similar real-time MCUs; background in EVs, robotics, aviation, or other safety-critical systems (ISO 26262, DO-178C, ARP4754); motor control, BMS, or vehicle control experience. Automotive and industrial safety-critical backgrounds are welcome.

Why this role

• Real ownership: you own system behavior, not a ticket queue
• Real hardware: watch your logic run on an actual flight controller
• Real impact: a foundational role in bringing flight-ready control systems from concept to deployment
• Comp: $150K-$170K plus equity, health/dental/vision, and a 401(k) with company match