Embedded Drone Software Engineer — Autonomy & Aerospace

Actalent; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and R

Life Insurance

Short and long-term disability

Health Spending Account (HSA)

Transportation benefits

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Software Engineer to develop and integrate embedded software for autonomous drone systems, ground control stations, and supporting applications. You will design, build, test, and deploy software ensuring UAV capabilities and payload integrations in a fast-paced engineering environment.

The ideal candidate has 4–8 years of experience in embedded software for robotics or aerospace, with strong C++ and Python skills, and familiarity with hardware/software integration and CI/CD

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or a related field.
• 4–8 years of experience developing embedded software for robotics, aerospace, defense, autonomous systems, or related industries.
• Strong programming experience with C++ and Python.
• Experience with embedded systems, firmware development, and microcontrollers.
• Knowledge of networking protocols and real-time data processing.
• Experience with hardware/software integration and system-level testing.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be eligible to work on projects requiring U.S. nationality.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded software and user-facing applications for autonomous drone platforms.
• Lead software integration efforts for new products, payloads, and hardware interfaces.
• Participate in the full product lifecycle, from concept and development through testing, deployment, and support.
• Develop firmware and embedded software for controllers, sensors, and related hardware systems.
• Troubleshoot, debug, and optimize software performance in real-time environments.
• Collaborate closely with hardware, systems, and product teams to ensure successful hardware/software integration.
• Support customer deployments, software updates, and fielded product enhancements.
• Implement automated testing, continuous integration, and software validation processes.
• Utilize Git, Bitbucket, and JIRA to manage source code and development activities.
• Perform hardware debugging using tools such as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.

Skills

C++

Python

Embedded systems

Robotics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related engineering field

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

ROS

STM32

ArduPilot

Job description

Actalent is seeking a Software Engineer to develop and integrate embedded software for autonomous drone systems, ground control stations, and supporting applications. You will design, build, test, and deploy software ensuring UAV capabilities and payload integrations in a fast-paced engineering environment.

The ideal candidate has 4–8 years of experience in embedded software for robotics or aerospace, with strong C++ and Python skills, and familiarity with hardware/software integration and CI/CD