Drone Firmware: Embedded Linux OS Engineer (Yocto)

Joseph Michaels International; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Joseph Michaels International client seeks a hands-on Embedded OS Engineer to own the Ubuntu-based Linux firmware stack for our MK2 drone platform (Qualcomm QRB5165). Build the OS, ensure security and reliability, and ship via automated CI/CD pipelines.

This role requires deep work on low-level OS internals, Yocto/BitBake, systemd units, and headless hardware. You will optimize builds, harden security, and orchestrate image creation and validation across Jenkins-driven workflows.

Qualifications

• Requires hands-on experience with embedded Linux stacks and Yocto BitBake.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate low-level OS internals on headless hardware.
• Experience optimizing build pipelines and image creation with CI/CD tooling.
• Familiarity with patch-based workflows and image customization.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the Yocto-based firmware build system for the MK2 drone platform.
• Write and maintain recipes and overlays; patch upstream BSP sources without modifying them directly.
• Debug and optimize the build pipeline (do_fetch, do_compile, do_rootfs, do_image).
• Manage image install selections and package exclusions within the rootfs.
• Implement OS hardening, post-build customization, and security patches.
• Maintain Jenkins pipelines, artifact handling, and build reproducibility.

Skills

Yocto/BitBake

Embedded Linux

CI/CD pipelines

Shell scripting

Jenkins

Systemd

Debugging

Performance tuning

Cross-compilation

Tools

QEMU

Git

BitBake

Job description

Joseph Michaels International client seeks a hands-on Embedded OS Engineer to own the Ubuntu-based Linux firmware stack for our MK2 drone platform (Qualcomm QRB5165). Build the OS, ensure security and reliability, and ship via automated CI/CD pipelines.

This role requires deep work on low-level OS internals, Yocto/BitBake, systemd units, and headless hardware. You will optimize builds, harden security, and orchestrate image creation and validation across Jenkins-driven workflows.