Firmware Engineer II: Embedded Spacecraft Systems

Firefly Aerospace, Inc.; Cedar Park (TX); On-site; USD 81,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision plans

Parental leave

Relocation benefits

Educational reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Cedar Park, Texas, is seeking an experienced embedded firmware engineer to design, develop, and test firmware for space-grade systems.

You’ll work with real-time Linux/RTOS environments and collaborate with hardware teams to deliver reliable flight software. The role emphasizes C/C++ development, debugging with JTAG, and CI/CD workflows, with opportunities to contribute to FPGA integration and Yocto/Buildroot-based builds.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science.
• 3+ years of professional experience in embedded firmware development in Linux environments.
• Proven track record of delivering real-world industry projects involving embedded firmware developed as bare-metal or RTOS applications (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar).
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems, with experience in assembly language as a plus.
• Experience with communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, USB, Ethernet, etc.) and real-time system constraints.
• Familiarity with debugging tools (JTAG, SWD, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers) and embedded development environments.
• Experience developing C++ applications for embedded systems.
• Proficiency in CI/CD workflow development for embedded firmware projects (e.g., Teamcity, GitLab CI, or similar).
• Experience with FPGA development, including firmware integration with FPGA designs.
• Familiarity with custom OS builds using Yocto, Buildroot, or similar embedded Linux build systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and test embedded firmware for microcontrollers and microprocessors in bare-metal or RTOS environments.
• Architect and implement low-level drivers, communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, etc.), and system-level firmware for real-time applications.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to define system architecture, debug hardware/firmware interactions, and ensure seamless integration.
• Optimize firmware for power efficiency, performance, and memory constraints in resource-limited embedded systems.
• Participate in code reviews, maintain high-quality code standards, and document firmware designs and processes.
• Contribute to system-level debugging, performance profiling, and validation of embedded systems.
• Optionally, support FPGA integration, including firmware interfacing with FPGA designs, or contribute to custom OS builds using tools like Yocto or Buildroot.

Skills

Embedded firmware development

C/C++

Linux environments

RTOS (FreeRTOS/Zephyr)

CI/CD for embedded

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science

Tools

JTAG

Yocto/Buildroot

FPGA integration

I2C/SPI/UART/CAN

Job description

Firefly Aerospace, Inc. in Cedar Park, Texas, is seeking an experienced embedded firmware engineer to design, develop, and test firmware for space-grade systems.

You’ll work with real-time Linux/RTOS environments and collaborate with hardware teams to deliver reliable flight software. The role emphasizes C/C++ development, debugging with JTAG, and CI/CD workflows, with opportunities to contribute to FPGA integration and Yocto/Buildroot-based builds.