Embedded Engineer

GCS Recruitment; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS Recruitment seeks a Senior Software Engineer to build and integrate the In-Flight Connectivity Platform for a LE O satellite program. You will work across cabin network management, OTA pipelines, and device-to-cloud telemetry from Redmond, WA (preferred) or San Diego, CA.

You’ll lead design decisions, collaborate with avionics, cloud, and embedded teams, and implement robust testing across unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop environments.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional software development and architecture experience.
• Strong Linux-based development on real devices using C/C++ and/or Python.
• Solid networking fundamentals and OTA/firmware pipeline experience.
• Experience with device-to-cloud telemetry and fleet management.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement core platform modules for cabin network management and QoS.
• Build and maintain OTA software lifecycle pipeline with signing and staged rollout.
• Develop telemetry and health-monitoring infrastructure for fleet devices.
• Integrate software across multiple cabin hardware platforms with portable abstractions.
• Contribute to interface definitions and drive architecture decisions through reviews.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Linux

Networking fundamentals

OTA/firmware pipelines

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Telemetry

Unit testing

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/testing tools

Job description

Senior Software Engineer *

In-Flight Connectivity Platform - LEO Satellite Broadband Program

Redmond, WA (preferred) or San Diego, CA

The Role

This is a hands‑on senior engineering role at the platform/middleware layer. The high‑level architecture is in place - your job is to build, integrate, and ship against it. You will work in a team that blends avionics, enterprise networking, cloud, and embedded backgrounds, with a dedicated security engineering team supporting the platform. Modern AI‑assisted development tooling is used extensively.

What you'll do:

• Design and implement core platform modules - cabin network management (VLAN‑based traffic segmentation and prioritization across passenger, crew, and airline operational services), connectivity monitoring, and observability.

• Build and maintain the over-the-air (OTA) software lifecycle pipeline: cryptographically validated updates, staged activation, automatic rollback, and version reporting to ground‑side fleet systems.

• Develop telemetry and health‑monitoring infrastructure, including the device‑to‑cloud data pipeline for fleet monitoring.

• Integrate software across multiple cabin hardware platforms, maintaining hardware abstraction layers for portability.

• Build and execute unit, integration, requirements‑based, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop tests.

• Contribute to interface definitions and architecture decision records, and raise the bar through code reviews and design feedback.

What We're Looking For

Required:

• 6+ years of professional software development experience, with several years leading design or architecture of production systems.

• Strong Linux‑based software development on real devices - C/C++ and/or Python.

• Solid networking fundamentals: VLANs, routing, QoS / traffic prioritization, and network troubleshooting.

• Experience with device‑to‑cloud systems: telemetry, health monitoring, or fleet/device management.

• Experience building or operating software update pipelines (OTA/firmware: signing, staged rollout, rollback).

• Containers (Docker; Kubernetes a plus) and modern CI/testing practices.

• Comfort with ambiguity and autonomy - an early‑stage program where strong engineering judgment and clear documentation matter as much as implementation skill.

Nice to have:

• Background in in‑flight connectivity, satellite communications, avionics, or other safety‑adjacent embedded domains.

• Familiarity with DO‑178C software lifecycle (certification itself not required) or avionics interfaces such as ARINC 429.

• Security engineering exposure: cryptography, secure boot, threat modeling, identity and access controls.

• Experience with carrier‑grade CPE/gateway software (e.g., RDK, OpenWrt, prpl) - this maps directly to the work.

Eligibility & Location

• Work authorization: due to applicable U.S. export control regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or lawfully admitted refugee or granted asylum.

• Location: on‑site - Redmond, WA preferred, or San Diego, CA. Relocation candidates welcome.

• Education: BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Why This Role

• Ground‑floor engineering on a high‑visibility program most engineers never get near - software that will fly on commercial aircraft worldwide.

• Your decisions on architecture, interfaces, and implementation shape the platform for years of production operation.

A well‑resourced, fast‑moving team with extensive knowledge‑sharing across avionics, networking, and cloud disciplines.