Embedded Flight Software Engineer

Proteus Space, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); Presencial; USD 130.000 - 180.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Paid medical healthcare

Flexible vacation policy

Sick days

401k matching

Pregnancy leave

Family leave

Holiday pay

Military service leave

Dental care

Vision care

Descripción de la vacante

Proteus Space, a Los Angeles–based spacecraft technology company, is seeking an Embedded Flight Software Engineer for a full-time, in-office role. You will design and implement low-level drivers, BSPs, and boot systems, bridging hardware and FSW logic while ensuring reliable boot behavior and space-grade communications.

The role emphasizes memory management, RTOS-based scheduling, and HIL testing, with collaboration across cross-functional teams to meet mission requirements.

Formación

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in computer science, aerospace engineering, or similar field.
• 5+ years of embedded software engineering experience with low-level driver development or bootloaders.
• Strong proficiency in C, C++, embedded Linux, and RTOS.
• Familiarity with Git and automated testing/CI workflows.
• Able to collaborate in a dynamic environment with a professional attitude.
• Must be eligible for a US DoD Top Secret security clearance.

Responsabilidades

• Develop low-level C/C++ drivers, BSPs, and hardware interfaces for MCUs, FPGAs, and buses.
• Design stage-1 and stage-2 bootloaders with robust boot behaviors and fail-safe modes.
• Architect memory management across NOR/NAND Flash, SRAM, and EEPROM.
• Configure protocols (SPI, I2C, CAN, UART, SpaceWire, PCIe) between compute units and peripherals.
• Implement telemetry, time sync, and task scheduling in RTOS environments.
• Conduct hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing using testbeds, analyzers, and FPGA tools.
• Maintain codebase with Git and CI/CD workflows for automated testing.
• Lead testing campaigns on flight-like hardware and collaborate across subsystems.
• Provide guidance on FSW architectures and best practices.

Conocimientos

Embedded software

C/C++

RTOS

Git

CI/CD

FPGA interfaces

Bootloaders

BSPs

Hardware interfaces

Memory management

Educación

Bachelor’s degree (CS/AE)

Herramientas

Logic analyzers

Oscilloscopes

FPGA emulator tools

Descripción del empleo

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.

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.

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.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Proteus Space’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

A "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.