Embedded Flight Software Engineer

Proteus Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401k matching

Generous leave policy

Job summary

Proteus Space in Los Angeles seeks an Embedded Flight Software Engineer with deep expertise in low-level embedded software, FPGA interfaces, drivers, and bootloader development to join our flight program team. This is a full-time, in-office role for an experienced professional focused on reliable spacecraft boot behavior and deterministic bus communications.

You will design and implement drivers, BSPs, and boot systems, manage memory architectures across NOR/NAND Flash, SRAM, and EEPROM, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in CS or aerospace engineering.
• 5+ years embedded software with driver/bootloader experience.
• Proficient in C/C++, RTOS and embedded Linux.

Responsibilities

• Develop low-level C/C++ drivers and BSPs for microcontrollers and FPGAs.
• Design stage-1 and stage-2 bootloaders and fail-safe recovery modes.
• Architect memory management across NOR/NAND Flash, SRAM, EEPROM.
• Configure SPI, I2C, CAN, UART, SpaceWire, PCIe bus interfaces.
• Implement telemetry, time sync, and task scheduling in RTOS environments.
• Conduct HIL testing with logic analyzers and FPGA tools.
• Contribute to CI/CD workflows and automated testing.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate subsystems.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and DoD clearance requirements.
• Document design processes and test results.

Skills

C/C++

Embedded Linux

RTOS

Git/CI

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in computer science or aerospace engineering

Tools

FPGA tools

Logic analyzers

Oscilloscopes

FPGA emulator tools

Job description

Company Description

Proteus Space is a Los Angeles-based spacecraft technology company established to capitalize on a rapidly evolving space landscape and the urgent need to deliver resilient orbital capabilities to maintain and increase our national science and security interests. We combine serious space flight experience with an open minded, first-principles approach, leveraging advanced computational design and Industry 4.0 practices to deliver custom spacecraft and mission solutions with industry leading speed, precision, and reliability. We seek to enable every payload and mission with a fully custom, purpose-built spacecraft bus, designed and delivered using Proteus™, our patent-pending, automated computational design platform, with industry leading reliability.

Company Description

Proteus Space is a Los Angeles-based spacecraft technology company established to capitalize on a rapidly evolving space landscape and the urgent need to deliver resilient orbital capabilities to maintain and increase our national science and security interests. We combine serious space flight experience with an open minded, first-principles approach, leveraging advanced computational design and Industry 4.0 practices to deliver custom spacecraft and mission solutions with industry leading speed, precision, and reliability. We seek to enable every payload and mission with a fully custom, purpose-built spacecraft bus, designed and delivered using Proteus™, our patent-pending, automated computational design platform, with industry leading reliability.

Role Description

We are seeking an Embedded Flight Software Engineer with deep expertise in low-level embedded software, FPGA interfaces, drivers, and bootloader development to join our flight program team. This is a full-time, in-office role for an experienced professional with a proven track record of hands on FSW development. In this role, you will design and implement low-level drivers, BSPs, and boot systems while managing memory architectures and FPGA hardware interfaces. You will bridge the gap between low-level hardware and high-level FSW logic, ensuring reliable spacecraft boot behavior, fail-safe recovery, and deterministic bus communications in space environments.

Key Responsibilities.

• Develop low-level C/C++ drivers, Board Support Packages (BSPs), and hardware interfaces for microcontrollers, FPGAs, and standard communication buses.
• Design and implement stage-1 and stage-2 bootloaders, robust boot behaviors, partition swapping logic, and fail-safe recovery modes.
• Architect memory management strategies across volatile and non-volatile memory (NOR/NAND Flash, SRAM, EEPROM) to preserve data integrity across reboots.
• Configure low-level communication protocols and bus interfaces (e.g., SPI, I2C, CAN, UART, SpaceWire, or PCIe) between compute units, peripherals, and payloads.
• Implement telemetry collection, time synchronization, and task scheduling within RTOS or embedded OS environments.
• Execute hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and debugging on flatsats using logic analyzers, oscilloscopes, and FPGA emulator tools.
• Manage the codebase using modern version control systems and contribute to CI/CD workflows for automated testing and continuous integration.
• Execute comprehensive test campaigns on testbeds and flight units to verify software performance under flight-like conditions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate subsystems with the spacecraft main compute element.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Document design processes, test results, and system performance.
• Provide technical guidance on FSW architectures to fellow engineers, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in computer science, aerospace engineering, or similar field.
• 5+ years of embedded software engineering experience, with exposure to low-level driver development, hardware integration, or bootloaders.
• Strong proficiency in C, C++, embedded Linux, and Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and automated testing/CI workflows.
• Strong ability to collaborate effectively in a dynamic environment while maintaining a positive and professional attitude.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Must possess or be willing and eligible to obtain a United States Department of Defense Top Secret security clearance.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience writing custom drivers for FPGA logic blocks or hardware interfaces (such as I2C, CAN, SPI, UART, or SpaceWire).
• Experience with hardware-level communication protocols and hardware/software integration.
• Experience working in clean room environments and adhering to ESD protocols.
• Demonstrated experience with custom bootloader design, memory controller drivers, Flash file systems, and image verification/recovery techniques.

Salary Range:

$130,000 - $180,000 per year. Final compensation is based on experience, education and qualifications.

Benefits

Proteus Space offers comprehensive benefits including paid medical healthcare for employees, flexible vacation policy, sick days, 401k matching option, pregnancy leave, family leave, holiday pay, military service leave, dental care, vision care and other benefits.

Equal Opportunity

Proteus is committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of an applicant’s age, disability, sex, race, religion, gender, national origin, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. The Company will provide reasonable accommodations to an applicant with a disability or religious belief in or to enable the applicant to apply for the position.