Embedded Software Engineer

Telemetry Today LLC; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Health insurance (medical, dental, and

vision)

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Office lunch

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corporation is seeking an Embedded Software Engineer to own real-time software for spacecraft subsystems, including power distribution and thermal control. You will work across the full lifecycle from bring-up to on-orbit operations.

We expect strong C/C++ skills and experience with RTOS or bare-metal environments, plus comfort with schematics, debugging tools, and hardware/software integration. This role offers high ownership and the chance to impact space systems reliability.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in embedded software or firmware development.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems.
• Experience with RTOS-based (e.g., FreeRTOS) and/or bare-metal environments.
• Comfort reading schematics and debugging with JTAG, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers.
• Experience with hardware/software integration and board bring-up.
• Ability to own a subsystem largely independently after ramp-up.

Responsibilities

• Own embedded software for spacecraft subsystems from concept through on-orbit operations.
• Design, develop, and debug real-time embedded software for microcontroller-based avionics boards in FreeRTOS or bare-metal environments.
• Implement low-level drivers, interfaces, and control loops for power, thermal, sensors, and actuators.
• Build and maintain software supporting board bring-up and firmware update mechanisms.
• Integrate with and develop robust command and telemetry infrastructure.
• Work at the software-hardware boundary: read schematics, diagnose firmware/hardware issues.
• Develop fault-tolerant systems with reliability and determinism in constrained environments.
• Support HITL testing and validation.
• Collaborate with electrical, avionics, and software teams to define interfaces.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

RTOS (FreeRTOS)

Hardware debugging

Subsystem ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

JTAG

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

Background

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport.

Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.

Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation ’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

The Role

We're looking for an Embedded Software Engineer to take ownership of real-time software for spacecraft subsystems, including power distribution, thermal control, and related avionics boards. You'll join a small embedded team where your work spans the full lifecycle: board bring-up, driver and application development, hardware/software debugging, and supporting reliable firmware updates for hardware in the field and on orbit. This is a high-ownership role: after ramp-up, you'll be the standing owner of a meaningful piece of our embedded software stack.

Responsibilities

Own embedded software for spacecraft subsystems from concept through on-orbit operations

Design, develop, and debug real-time embedded software for microcontroller-based avionics boards in both FreeRTOS and bare-metal environments

Implement low-level drivers, peripheral interfaces, and real-time control loops for power distribution, thermal control, sensors, and actuators

Build and maintain software supporting board bring-up as well as safe, robust in-field and in-flight firmware update mechanisms

Integrate with and develop robust command and telemetry infrastructure

Work deeply at the software-to-hardware boundary: read schematics, understand pinouts, drive physical hardware, and diagnose issues that could originate in firmware or hardware

Build robust, fault-tolerant systems with attention to reliability, determinism, and performance in constrained environments

Support board bring-up, hardware integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing

Develop automated test frameworks and validation tooling for embedded systems

Collaborate closely with electrical, avionics, and software teams to define system architecture and interfaces

Investigate anomalies, perform root cause analysis, and implement fixes across hardware/software boundaries

Contribute to system-level design, including fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategies

Basic Qualifications

3+ years of experience (or equivalent practical experience) in embedded software or firmware development

Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems

Experience developing for embedded microcontrollers, including work with RTOS-based (e.g., FreeRTOS) and/or bare-metal environments

Comfort working at the hardware boundary: reading schematics, using debugging tools (JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers), and reasoning about electrical behavior

Experience with hardware/software integration and board bring-up

Ability to own a subsystem largely independently after ramp-up

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field

Experience developing embedded software for aerospace, automotive, robotics, or other high-reliability systems

Experience with common embedded communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN) and embedded networking stacks

Experience building or working with firmware update and bootloader systems for deployed or remote hardware

Understanding of fault-tolerant design, redundancy, and high-reliability system architecture

Experience with HITL testing and system validation

Familiarity with Python or scripting for test automation and tooling; interest or experience in Rust for embedded development is a plus

Experience working in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles

Exposure to radiation-tolerant design considerations for space systems

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $130,000 - $185,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per calendar year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance if applicable

Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here .

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.