Embedded Engineer I

Orbital Robotics; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbital Robotics is seeking engineers with hands-on experience in embedded software for safety-critical systems. The role focuses on real-time C/C++ development for robotic hardware, including motor controllers and sensors, with stringent performance requirements.

You will work on bare-metal bring-up, device drivers, and RTOS optimization, collaborating across hardware and software teams to ensure fault-tolerant, dependable systems for space-grade robotics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in EE, CS, physics, robotics, or related field.
• U.S. person due ITAR regulations.
• Experience with C, C++ and Linux.
• 0–2 years in embedded systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop real-time embedded C/C++ software from bare-metal to production.
• Develop device drivers and high-speed communication protocols for actuators and sensors.
• Optimize firmware and RTOS for high-bandwidth robotic control.
• Contribute to fault-tolerant software architectures and safety systems.
• Integrate and debug embedded systems on robots and HiL test rigs.

Skills

C

C++

Linux

Embedded

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Orbital Robotics is looking for engineers with experience developing embedded software for safety critical systems. While we are deploying spacecraft with robotic arms to space, any engineer with experience on robotic systems, autonomous vehicles, or avionics will be a great fit.

Responsibilities

• Implement, test, and deploy real-time embedded C/C++ software from bare-metal bring-up to production hardware, and contribute to its architecture.

• Develop device drivers and high-speed communication protocols to integrate actuators, motor controllers, and complex sensor payloads.

• Optimize low-level firmware and RTOS to meet the strict timing and latencies required for high-bandwidth robotic control, dynamic movement, and manipulation.

• Contribute to the design of fault-tolerant software architectures and safety systems that handle hardware degradation, thermal limits, and unexpected physical disturbances.

• Integrate and debug embedded systems directly on full-scale robots and hardware-in-the-loop test frameworks.

Qualifications

• Due to ITAR regulations, must be a U.S. person (citizen, permanent resident, or designated asylee/refugee).

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer science, physics, robotics, or related engineering discipline.

• Software development experience in C, C++ and Linux.

• 0-2 years of full-time, working experience in embedded systems.

Desired Experience

Firmware & Embedded Systems

• Bare-Metal & RTOS: Experience implementing low-level software on bare-metal systems and RTOS.

• Motor Control: Experience with brushless motor controllers and FOC algorithm implementation.

Safety-Critical & Real-Time Systems

• Safety-Critical Software: Experience developing or deploying software for safety critical systems, including aircraft avionics or autonomous vehicles.

• Real-Time Processors: Experience targeting high-reliability, real-time processors used in automotive powertrain, aerospace avionics, or robotic actuation.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.