Head, Flight Software

Canadarocketcompany; Toronto; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Canada Rocket Company is seeking a Head of Flight Software to own the entire flight software stack—from firmware to flight computer applications—and to grow the team accordingly. You will bridge software, avionics, and GNC, translating mission requirements into reliable, flight‑proven code.

You will define architecture, development, verification, and operations strategies, and collaborate with hardware and systems engineering to ensure real‑time performance, determinism, and fault tolerance in

Qualifications

• 10+ years of embedded software for complex, real‑time systems with leadership experience.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded targets across RTOS/GPOS/FPGAs.
• Deep understanding of memory management, real‑time scheduling, and hardware‑software interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the flight software strategy for the launch vehicle.
• Lead and mentor the flight software team, establish processes and culture.
• Develop embedded software across flight computers and low‑level controllers.

Skills

Embedded software

C/C++ for embedded

Real-time systems

Technical leadership

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in CS/EE/Aerospace

Tools

RTOS

FPGA

Job description

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, and MDA, 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 700 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're looking 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'll own the full flight software stack, from low-level controller firmware to flight computer applications, and grow the team around it. You'll work at the intersection of software, avionics, and GNC, 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.