Head, Flight Software

Canada Rocket Company; Toronto; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Canada Rocket Company is hiring a Head of Flight Software to own the full flight software stack across low-level controller firmware to flight computer applications. You will lead a team spanning software, avionics, and control systems to translate mission requirements into reliable, flight-proven code.

You will shape the software architecture of an entire launch vehicle program, establish standards, and drive rigorous verification and testing, including HIL/SIL processes, to ensure

Qualifications

• 10+ years of embedded software experience for complex, real-time systems.
• Proven leadership experience building and guiding engineering teams.
• Strong proficiency in C and/or C++ for embedded targets.
• Experience with RTOS/GPOS, FPGA, and bare-metal environments.
• Deep understanding of hardware-software interfaces and memory management.
• Knowledge of CAN, SPI, I2C, Ethernet protocols and fault handling.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the flight software strategy for the orbital launch vehicle.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing flight software team.
• Architect and develop embedded software across flight computers and controllers.
• Collaborate with Avionics for hardware-software integration and driver development.
• Work with GNC to implement real-time guidance and control algorithms.
• Own the software lifecycle for flight-critical systems, including requirements and testing.
• Establish and maintain software standards for safety-critical applications.

Skills

Embedded software

C/C++

Real-time systems

Team leadership

Hardware interfaces

Communication protocols

Job description

About this position

About Canada Rocket Company

Canada Rocket Company is developing Canada's first medium-lift launch vehicle.

We are a team of veterans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, ArianeGroup, Pangea Propulsion, Tesla, MDA, and more, bringing over a century of combined launch and space systems experience back to Canada.

Our mission is to provide reliable, independent access to space for Canada and its allies in a rapidly expanding global market.

Our approach is defined by pragmatic engineering:

• We utilize a single 750 kN engine that scales from light- to medium-lift via engine clustering.
• We lean on simple, proven technologies to reach orbit faster, avoiding the pitfalls of complex or novel designs.
• We test early and often, catching problems on the bench instead of at the pad.

Backed by $20M in funding secured within our first four months, including the largest all-Canadian seed round in the sector and an $8.3M Department of National Defence grant, we are moving with the speed and institutional backing required to meet Canada’s orbital launch needs.

About the role

Canada Rocket Company is building a sovereign launch capability for Canada.We'relooking for a Head of Flight Software to build and lead the team responsible for every line of code that flies. This is a foundational leadership role:you'llown the full flight software stack, from low-level controller firmware to flight computer applications, and grow the team around it.You'llwork at the intersection of software, avionics, and control systems, translating mission requirements into reliable, flight-proven code. If you want to shape the software architecture of an entire launch vehicle program from the ground up, this is the role.

What you'll do

• Define and execute the flight software strategy for Canada Rocket Company's orbital launch vehicle, spanning architecture, development, verification, and operations.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing flight software team, establishing hiring plans, engineering processes, and a culture of rigour and ownership.
• Architect and develop embedded software across flight computers and low-level controllers, working across GPOS, RTOS, FPGA, and baremetal environments as the program demands.
• Partner closely with the Avionics team on hardware-software integration, board bring-up, driver development, and interface definition for flight electronics.
• Collaborate with the GNC team to implement guidance, navigation, and control algorithms in flight software, ensuring real-time performance, determinism, and fault tolerance.
• Own the software lifecycle for flight-critical systems, including requirements management, configuration control, code review, testing (hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop), and anomaly resolution.
• Establish and maintain software development standards appropriate for flight-critical and safety-critical applications.

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of experience developing embedded software for complex, real-time systems, with a meaningful portion in a technical leadership capacity.
• Strong proficiency in C and/or C++ for embedded targets, with demonstrated experience across RTOS, GPOS, FPGA, and baremetal development environments.
• Deep understanding of embedded systems fundamentals: hardware-software interfaces, memory management, real-time scheduling, communication protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, Ethernet), and fault handling.
• Proven ability to build and lead engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and establishing processes from an early stage.
• Excellent collaboration skills, particularly in cross-disciplinary environments involving hardware, software, and systems engineering.

Preferred

• Direct experience with flight software for launch vehicles, spacecraft, or similarly high-consequence aerospace systems.
• Familiarity with GNC algorithm implementation and the real-time performance constraints involved.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop test frameworks.
• Exposure to software assurance practices for flight-critical systems (e.g., DO-178C, ECSS, or NASA standards).
• Bachelor's or advanced degree in computer science, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.