Embedded Software Engineer

GCS Recruitment; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS Recruitment is seeking a hands-on senior software engineer for the platform/middleware layer focused on cabin network management, OTA updates, and device-to-cloud telemetry. You will design, build, integrate, and ship core modules in collaboration with avionics, enterprise networking, cloud and embedded teams.

You will work with Linux-based C/C++ and Python, Docker and Kubernetes, and contribute to architecture decisions, testing, and security considerations.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Linux

Networking

OTA/firmware pipelines

Containers (Docker/Kubernetes)

CI/Testing practices

Architecture/Design leadership

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

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.