Lead - Firmware (UAVs)

Unmannd; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 2,000,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Access to real hardware

Collaborative team environment

High-impact leadership role

Job summary

A UAV technology firm in Bengaluru seeks a Head of Firmware to lead the design and development of embedded software for UAV flight platforms. The ideal candidate will possess significant experience in embedded systems and leadership, ensuring the integration of high-performance systems that meet stringent safety standards. This role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams to enhance aircraft capabilities and reliability. Join us to redefine UAV technology in a high-impact position.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in embedded systems/firmware development.
• At least 1 year in a leadership role.
• Hands-on experience with flight control stacks like PX4 or ArduPilot.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of embedded software for UAVs.
• Ensure successful integration of various sub-systems.
• Collaborate with hardware, autonomy, and integration teams.

Skills

C/C++ expertise

Embedded systems

Real-time systems

Flight control stacks

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics

Tools

RTOS environments (VxWorks, FreeRTOS, RTEMS)

Debugging tools (oscilloscope, JTAG)

Job description

We're building deeply intelligent UAVs for defense forces – designed to out‑think, outmaneuver, and dominate even in contested environments. Our mission is to give the armed forces an undeniable edge and help safeguard peace across borders. We move fast, challenge limits, and obsess over building technology that redefines what’s possible. If you are driven to build something truly transformational — then this is it.

Job Description

About the Role

As the Head of Firmware, you will lead the design, development, and deployment of embedded software across all UAV flight platforms. You will re‑define the entire hardware architecture of unmanned aerial vehicles. You will manage a growing team of embedded engineers, and ensure the successful integration of several sub‑systems (meeting Mil‑grade standards) with onboard hardware. Your work will directly impact aircraft safety, responsiveness, and feature capabilities.

You’ll also collaborate closely with autonomy, hardware, perception, and systems integration teams to ensure smooth end‑to‑end operation from sensor to sky.

Key Responsibilities

• Firmware architecture – Own and evolve the firmware architecture for UAV flight systems, ensuring modularity, scalability, and performance.
• Flight controllers – Lead the design and development of high‑performance flight controllers meeting DO‑178 standards.
• Subsystems – Develop sub‑systems required to perform end‑to‑end operations (launch platforms, charging infra, base stations, communication equipment, etc.).
• Interfaces – Work with high‑speed interfaces for motor control, sensor input (GPS, IMUs, barometers, Lidar, etc.), telemetry, and power management to create smart sub‑systems in UAVs.
• Execution – Ensure low‑latency, deterministic, and fail‑safe execution on embedded platforms.

Testing, Reliability & Validation

• Define and drive the firmware testing strategy, including:
• Unit testing
• HIL/SIL simulations
• Regression testing
• Flight validation and fault injection
• Ensure the firmware meets real‑time performance, safety, and reliability goals under varying mission conditions.
• Own firmware reliability metrics and track bug resolution and release cycles.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Hardware team – Board bring‑up, sensor interfaces, and power systems.
• Autonomy and controls teams – Closed‑loop control systems stability and efficiency.
• Systems integration – Test campaigns, tuning, and logs support.
• Collaborate with the CTO and other department leads on overall technical roadmap and priorities.

Compliance, Safety, and Process

• Contribute to or lead firmware certification readiness (DO‑178C, ISO 26262).
• Establish robust version control, release management, and CI/CD pipelines for firmware deployment.
• Ensure secure and recoverable firmware systems (bootloaders, firmware upgrades, watchdogs).

Requirements

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, or related fields.

6+ years of experience in embedded systems / firmware development, with at least 1 year in a leadership role.

Strong expertise in C/C++ for real‑time systems.

Deep experience with flight control stacks like PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot software.

Hands‑on experience with RTOS environments (VxWorks, FreeRTOS, RTEMS, etc.).

Strong understanding of sensor internals, data formats, failure conditions, and tolerating failures.

Experience with board bring‑up and bootloader design.

Ability to work hands‑on or design hardware debugging tools (oscilloscope, JTAG, logic analyzer, test environments / jigs).

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working on DO‑178C or other safety‑critical systems.

Familiarity with certified RTOS (INTEGRITY, SafeRTOS, etc.).

Experience in flight test support and analyzing log data (e.g., uLog, MAVLink).

Contributions to open‑source firmware projects (PX4, ArduPilot, etc.).

Knowledge of CI/CD for embedded systems (Jenkins, GitLab CI, custom pipelines).

What We Offer

• A high‑impact leadership role in shaping the core of our flight systems.
• Be part of a collaborative team passionate about innovation.
• Access to real hardware, test ranges, and flight platforms.
• Build the next era of UAVs and autonomy.