Embedded Firmware Engineer III — Spacecraft Systems

Firefly Aerospace; Leander (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking an experienced embedded firmware engineer to design, develop, test, and integrate flight software for spacecraft systems. You will work with hardware teams across the development lifecycle, delivering real-time firmware in bare-metal or RTOS environments. The role requires strong C/C++ for embedded systems, extensive Linux experience, and familiarization with debugging tools.

Occasional FPGA work and CI/CD for embedded projects are a plus. Austin-area, U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional embedded firmware development in Linux environments.
• Proven track record delivering embedded firmware as bare-metal or RTOS applications (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr).
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems; assembly language a plus.
• Experience with I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, USB, Ethernet, etc., and real-time constraints.
• Familiarity with debugging tools (JTAG, SWD, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers) and embedded IDEs.
• Desired experience: CI/CD for embedded firmware (Teamcity, GitLab CI); FPGA development; Yocto/Buildroot.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and test embedded firmware for microcontrollers and microprocessors in bare-metal or RTOS environments.
• Architect and implement low-level drivers, protocols, and system-level firmware for real-time applications.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to define system architecture and ensure seamless integration.
• Optimize firmware for power, performance, and memory in resource-limited environments.
• Participate in code reviews and document firmware designs and processes.
• Contribute to system-level debugging, profiling, and validation of embedded systems.
• Optionally support FPGA integration or OS builds using Yocto/Buildroot.

Skills

C/C++ for embedded systems

Real-time systems

Linux environments

Debugging tools

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS

Tools

JTAG

SWD

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

Firefly Aerospace is seeking an experienced embedded firmware engineer to design, develop, test, and integrate flight software for spacecraft systems. You will work with hardware teams across the development lifecycle, delivering real-time firmware in bare-metal or RTOS environments. The role requires strong C/C++ for embedded systems, extensive Linux experience, and familiarization with debugging tools.

Occasional FPGA work and CI/CD for embedded projects are a plus. Austin-area, U.S.