Effector Guidance Software Engineer Software

Front Door Defense; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% paid health benefits

401k with 50% company match

Free daily lunch

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

CHAOS, located in Hawthorne, California, is seeking a Senior Guidance Software Engineer to lead the design of guidance software on innovative airframe systems. This role requires a minimum of 10 years in object-oriented software development, experience with guidance algorithms, and a Bachelor's or higher in Computer Science or related fields.

The successful candidate will work closely with airframe design and support system integrations while collaborating with small teams. The position offers competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and a dynamic work environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in professional, object-oriented software development.
• Experience with design and implementation of guidance algorithms for UAS platforms.
• Solid understanding and extensive experience in software development on microcontroller architectures.

Responsibilities

• Implement guidance and navigation software within COTS software frameworks.
• Support airframe design activities.
• Work full-time on-site in office in Hawthorne, California.

Skills

Object-oriented software development

Guidance algorithms

Flight dynamics understanding

Embedded software development

Agile lifecycle processes

Collaboration within small teams

Education

Bachelor's or higher Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering

Tools

COTS software frameworks

Linux on Nvidia Jetson

VHDL

Git

Job description

Effector Guidance Software Engineer

Location: Hawthorne, California, United States
Compensation: $160,000 - 240,000 USD / year
Job Tags: Software

Role Overview

CHAOS is seeking a highly‑skilled and motivated Senior Guidance Software Engineer to join our R&D team. You will lead the design of our guidance software on a clean‑sheet airframe design and have the opportunity to expand your skillset across our product families.

Responsibilities

• Implementation of guidance and navigation software within COTS software frameworks
• Support airframe design activities
• Support system integration of software on flight hardware
• Work full‑time on‑site in our office in Los Angeles (Hawthorne), California

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum education: Bachelor's or higher Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related degree
• 10+ years of experience in professional, object‑oriented software development
• Experience with design and implementation of guidance algorithms for UAS platforms using commercial autopilot frameworks like ArduPilot
• Practical understanding of flight dynamics of fixed wing and rotary wing platforms
• Solid understanding and extensive experience in software development on microcontroller architectures (STM32 or similar) and on Linux hosted on Nvidia Jetson, AMD/Xilinx SoC or Microblaze architectures
• Experience developing real‑time embedded software to include hardware interfaces
• Experience with integration of vendor provided low‑level drivers and firmware
• Experience with Agile lifecycle processes including Scrum, Continuous Integration, and Test‑Driven Development Methodologies
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and collaborate on small teams
• U.S. Person status is required as this position will require the ability to access U.S.-only data system

Preferred Requirements

• Current or previous DoD security clearance
• Part 107 remote pilot certification
• Experience with EO/IR sensor integration
• Experience with radar sensor integration
• Experience with firmware development using VHDL and embedded software development flow on AMD/Xilinx FPGAs
• Experience with git
• Experience with production‑level SW development & deployment, including DevOps, DevSecOps, and/or Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) using modern FOSS/COTS toolsets
• Experience with full lifecycle SW development of high‑TRL systems
• Experience with HW/SW I&T and V&V of high‑TRL systems

Benefits

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, No meeting Fridays, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre‑IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 200 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $160,000 - $240,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.