Edge Operating System Engineer

Singularity Defense Corp.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative aerospace and defense startup is seeking a Senior Software Engineer focused on Edge Operating Systems to manage the low-level software stack for their flight computer. The role entails optimizing Linux systems, developing secure updates, and integrating performance-critical applications. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in embedded systems, Linux internals, and NVIDIA Jetson technologies. This position is a crucial part of shaping the company's contributions to national defense, working in a collaborative and dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building or maintaining embedded Linux systems.
• Deep familiarity with Linux internals: systemd, udev, bootloaders, networking.
• Hands-on experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms and GPU integration.

Responsibilities

• Own image lifecycle for flight computers, from hardware bring-up to mission deployment.
• Build secure, reproducible NixOS configurations for NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX.
• Develop secure update mechanisms for edge devices in hostile environments.

Skills

Embedded Linux

Shell scripting

Python

C

Rust

NVIDIA Jetson platforms

Performance optimization

Debugging

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

Yocto

Buildroot

NixOS

NVIDIA Orin NX

Job description

About the Company:

We are a stealth-mode Aerospace & Defense startup headquartered in Gardena, CA. Our founding team hails from SpaceX, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin, and we are backed by Joint Staff-level military leadership and several Silicon Valley firms. With a world-class business development & leadership team already in place, we are well positioned to capitalize on already overwhelming demand.

Job Overview:

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer focused on Edge Operating Systems to own the low-level software stack powering our NVIDIA Orin NX-based flight computer. In this role, you’ll be responsible for architecting and maintaining our custom NixOS-based deployment and configuration pipeline, building high-reliability Linux systems optimized for flight, and integrating performance-critical applications into a secure, deterministic edge compute environment.

If you thrive at the intersection of embedded systems, Linux internals, and reproducible builds—and want your work to directly shape national defense—this is your role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own image lifecycle for our flight computers, from hardware bring-up to mission deployment
• Build secure, minimal, reproducible NixOS configurations for NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX
• Optimize performance, boot time, and reliability for mission-critical deployments
• Integrate low-level software components (GStreamer, CUDA, GPU drivers, telemetry, real-time threads) into a cohesive system
• Work closely with flight software and GNC teams to support real-time, multi-process workloads
• Develop secure update mechanisms, sandboxing, and observability tools for edge devices in hostile environments
• Lead debugging and performance analysis efforts across user space, kernel space, and hardware interfaces
• Contribute to devops and CI pipelines for embedded Linux builds and simulation environments

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
• 5+ years of experience building or maintaining embedded Linux systems (Yocto, Buildroot, NixOS, or similar)
• Deep familiarity with Linux internals: systemd, udev, bootloaders (e.g., U-Boot), networking, filesystems
• Fluency in shell scripting and programming in Python, Rust, or C
• Hands‑on experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms, including GPU and camera stack integration
• Experience debugging kernel‑space and user‑space issues on embedded targets

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree or research experience in operating systems, embedded systems, or security
• Experience using Nix/NixOS in production for embedded or robotics systems
• Familiarity with secure boot, TPMs, cryptographic key management, and OTA update systems
• Knowledge of CUDA, GStreamer, or other high-performance Linux subsystems
• Prior work on autonomous systems, aerospace, or other safety‑critical domains
• Contributions to open source operating systems or Nix community projects