Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Avionics

Position Overview

As aSenior Embedded Software Engineerat Inversion you will own the development, testing, and deployment of highly reliable, low-latency flight software that runs on Arc’s vehicle avionics hardware. You will design and implement safety-critical code for microcontrollers, power distribution units, flight computers, and communication systems. Operating with high autonomy, you will bridge the gap between hardware and software, debugging boundary-level issues, establishing embedded coding standards, and ensuring our flight processors execute flawlessly through extreme reentry environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain high-reliability, real-time embedded software in C/C++ for Arc flight computers, microcontrollers, and actuators.
• Architect and implement low-level device drivers for communication protocols including SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, and RS-422.
• Own embedded software modules end-to-end, from early requirements definition through testing, qualification, and vehicle-level flight operations.
• Bring up new avionics hardware platforms, debugging complex hardware-software boundary issues using JTAG, logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and packet sniffers.
• Integrate and validate embedded code using software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test environments.
• Perform rigorous code reviews, establish technical standards, and mentor junior embedded engineers on the team.
• Collaborate closely with the core Flight Software and Simulation teams to align vehicle autonomy, telemetry architectures, and GNC algorithm execution.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 5+ years of professional experience developing low-level embedded C/C++ software for real-time systems.
• Hands-on experience with bare-metal microcontrollers and Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) like FreeRTOS, RTEMS, or VxWorks.
• Proven capability to read electrical schematics, understand datasheet registers, and debug physical hardware using laboratory instruments.
• Experience implementing standard hardware peripheral drivers and serial communication protocols.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience developing software for safety-critical or high-reliability applications (e.g., aerospace, automotive, or medical devices).
• Familiarity with modern software development practices, including Git, unit test frameworks, static analysis tools, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficiency in Python for test automation, data analysis, and hardware scripting.
• Experience developing embedded software on Linux-based systems.
• Experience developing FPGA designs and digital logic using VHDL, Verilog, or SystemVerilog.
• Experience developing custom Board Support Packages (BSPs), bootloader configurations, device startup code, and hardware abstraction layers (HAL).
• Experience participating in electrical schematic reviews and collaborating closely with hardware engineers to guide board-level design.
• Experience leading PCB bring-up, design verification testing (DVT), hardware qualification, and transition to production.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced aerospace startup or small hardware integration team.

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in office presence.

_{The California annual base salary for this role is currently $139,000 - $201,000.  Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.}