Embedded Software Engineer, Motor Control & Real-Time Systems

generalmatter; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

General Matter is seeking an Embedded Software Engineer to develop real-time control software, motor drive firmware, and device drivers for test stands and production systems. You will define real-time architecture and hardware interfaces, working hands-on with hardware from prototypes to deployed systems.

The role requires strong C/C++/Rust skills, experience with motor control firmware, and deep knowledge of real-time systems, ensuring safety and deterministic timing in complex environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related STEM field.
• 5+ years of experience developing embedded, real-time, or low-level systems software.
• Evidence of exceptional ability (projects, portfolio, completed products, etc.).
• Strong, production-level experience in C, C++, or Rust.
• Hands-on experience implementing motor control firmware for electric motors and drives.
• Solid grounding in control fundamentals and real-time systems with deterministic timing.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop deterministic, safety-critical control software on real-time Linux and embedded targets.
• Define real-time architecture, driver standards, and hardware interfaces across R&D, test, and production.
• Implement motor control firmware including field-oriented and sensorless control.
• Develop low-level drive firmware for PWM, ADC, sensing, and motor feedback interfaces.
• Implement protection functions to maximize safety and reliability.
• Build and maintain fieldbus masters and stacks for hard real-time control of distributed actuators.
• Write drivers for scientific instrumentation and high-speed data acquisition.
• Own software from development through deployment with SIL/HIL frameworks.
• Perform safety analyses and validate control logic for deterministic behavior.

Skills

C

C++

Rust

Real-time OS

Linux

Motor control

Field-oriented control

Deterministic timing

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

EtherCAT

CAN/CANopen

EtherNet/IP

SPI

I2C

PCIe

Job description

About the Company

General Matter enriches uranium. We are designing, building, and operating the world's lowest-cost enrichment services, here in the US. In the process, we are restoring America's ability to produce nuclear fuel to power AI, advanced manufacturing and critical industries our country relies on to remain competitive. Fuel drives the cost of advanced reactor electricity production, and enrichment drives the cost of the fuel that advanced reactors consume. Reliable, low-cost enrichment is the catalyst for the nuclear Renaissance now under way. Our mission is to make nuclear not only the cleanest and safest source of baseload power, but also the most affordable. We believe abundant nuclear energy will lead to a post-scarcity society. We were incubated inside Founders Fund, like Anduril and Palantir before us, and are backed by over a dozen of the world's top venture capital firms. Our lean, world-class team of engineers and operators is applying a first-principles approach to solving the problem of nuclear fuel production. We are a mission-driven company with a culture of urgency, accountability, and transparency. Help us build a high-energy society by making the cleanest, safest form of baseload energy the most affordable.

About This Role

We are seeking an Embedded Software Engineer to develop the real-time control software, motor drive firmware, and device drivers that directly command test stands and production systems. This role sits where real-time embedded engineering meets motor control. You'll turn control algorithms into deterministic, fault-tolerant code that closes high-rate control loops, drives power electronics, coordinates distributed actuators over fieldbus networks, and acquires high-speed signals from scientific instrumentation. Safety and accuracy matter enormously in all of it. You will help define the real-time architecture, driver standards, and hardware interfaces of mission-critical embedded systems across R&D, manufacturing/test, and plant operations, working hands-on with hardware from early prototypes through deployed systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop deterministic, safety-critical control software on real-time Linux (e.g., PREEMPT_RT) and embedded microcontroller/DSP targets, including scheduling, timing, and fault-tolerant control logic.
• Define real-time architecture, driver standards, and hardware interface conventions shared across R&D, test, and production systems.
• Implement and optimize motor control algorithms in embedded firmware, including field-oriented control, sensorless control, and high-rate closed-loop current and torque control.
• Develop low-level drive firmware for PWM generation, synchronized ADC sampling, current and voltage sensing, and motor feedback interfaces for power electronics and inverters.
• Implement estimation, monitoring, and protection functions (state and fault estimation, overcurrent and overvoltage protection) to maximize system safety and reliability.
• Build and maintain industrial fieldbus masters and stacks (e.g., EtherCAT, CAN/CANopen, EtherNet/IP) for hard real-time, high-rate closed-loop control of distributed actuators, drives, and I/O.
• Write drivers and interfaces for scientific instrumentation, sensors, and data acquisition hardware for high-speed, kHz-class acquisition across low-level protocols and buses (e.g., SPI, I2C, serial, USB, PCIe, Ethernet).
• Own software from development through deployment by building automated build, test, and validation infrastructure, including software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) frameworks for motor control and real-time systems.
• Perform safety analyses and validate control logic to ensure deterministic behavior, stability, and functional safety under both normal and fault conditions.
• Contribute to integrated system testing, commissioning, and continuous improvement of embedded software running on production equipment.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related STEM field.
• 5+ years of experience developing embedded, real-time, or low-level systems software.
• Evidence of exceptional ability (prior projects, portfolio of work, completed products, etc.).
• Strong, production-level experience in C, C++, or Rust.
• Hands-on experience implementing motor control firmware for electric motors and drives, such as field-oriented control, sensorless control, PWM, and closed-loop current control.
• Solid grounding in control fundamentals (linear systems, discrete-time control, digital filtering, and state estimation), deep enough to implement, tune, and debug control loops on real hardware.
• Hands-on experience with real-time systems and hardware/software integration, with a strong understanding of deterministic timing, interrupt latency, conc