Flight Software Engineer

Senior Flight Software Engineer

About the Company

An innovative aerospace company developing full-scale autonomous cargo aircraft designed to transform the future of air freight.

Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, the business is developing next-generation autonomous aviation technology.

About the Role

As a Senior Flight Software Engineer, you will take ownership of key software systems running on the flight computers of autonomous cargo aircraft.

You will work across the full development lifecycle, from architecture and design through to hardware integration and flight testing. This is a hands-on role where you will develop real-time embedded software, influence technical direction and help establish engineering standards across the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and development of major flight software subsystems.
• Design and implement deterministic, real-time embedded software using C++.
• Develop fault detection, redundancy management and failure response capabilities.
• Define software requirements and interfaces across avionics, GNC and flight test teams.
• Implement GNC algorithms into flight software and validate against simulations.
• Establish testing strategies across unit, software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop environments.
• Develop telemetry, logging and communication systems between aircraft and ground stations.
• Lead software integration, ground testing and flight test activities.
• Set coding standards, lead design reviews and mentor other engineers.

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of C or C++ development within embedded, real-time or safety-critical environments.
• Experience owning a flight software subsystem or equivalent from architecture through to deployment.
• Experience with hardware integration and testing on a real-world vehicle (aircraft, spacecraft or automotive).
• Experience designing fault detection and response systems for safety-critical applications.
• Experience leading design reviews and providing technical direction.

Desirable Experience

• Flight software experience within crewed/uncrewed aircraft or spacecraft.
• RTOS or bare-metal development experience.
• Knowledge of redundant and fault-tolerant flight computer architectures.
• Experience with DO-178C, ISO 26262 or similar safety standards.
• Flight testing or vehicle testing experience.
• Python for tooling, test automation and data analysis.

Pay: $125,000.00 - $200,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) 6% Match
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person