Firmware Engineer III

Firefly Aerospace; Leander (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; 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 is seeking an experienced embedded firmware engineer to design, develop, test, and integrate flight software for spacecraft systems. You will work with hardware teams across the development lifecycle, delivering real-time firmware in bare-metal or RTOS environments. The role requires strong C/C++ for embedded systems, extensive Linux experience, and familiarization with debugging tools.

Occasional FPGA work and CI/CD for embedded projects are a plus. Austin-area, U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional embedded firmware development in Linux environments.
• Proven track record delivering embedded firmware as bare-metal or RTOS applications (e.g., FreeRTOS, Zephyr).
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems; assembly language a plus.
• Experience with I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, USB, Ethernet, etc., and real-time constraints.
• Familiarity with debugging tools (JTAG, SWD, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers) and embedded IDEs.
• Desired experience: CI/CD for embedded firmware (Teamcity, GitLab CI); FPGA development; Yocto/Buildroot.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and test embedded firmware for microcontrollers and microprocessors in bare-metal or RTOS environments.
• Architect and implement low-level drivers, protocols, and system-level firmware for real-time applications.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to define system architecture and ensure seamless integration.
• Optimize firmware for power, performance, and memory in resource-limited environments.
• Participate in code reviews and document firmware designs and processes.
• Contribute to system-level debugging, profiling, and validation of embedded systems.
• Optionally support FPGA integration or OS builds using Yocto/Buildroot.

Skills

C/C++ for embedded systems

Real-time systems

Linux environments

Debugging tools

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering or CS

Tools

JTAG

SWD

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

ABOUT FIREFLY AEROSPACEFirefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company that enables our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the only commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the only company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Our launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide government and commercial customers with full mission services from low Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.SUMMARYIn this role you will help design, develop, test, and integrate the embedded flight software for Firefly spacecraft. You will work in a group of software engineers through all stages of spacecraft software development processes and collaborate with other engineering teams.RESPONSIBILITIESDesign, 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.QUALIFICATIONSRequiredBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.5+ 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.DesiredExperience 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.Primary Level Salary Range:Firefly Aerospace is a space and defense technology company on a mission to reliably and repeatedly launch, land, and operate space systems from Earth to the Moon and beyond. As the partner of choice for critical space missions, Firefly is the first commercial company to launch a satellite to orbit with 24-hour notice and the first company to achieve a successful Moon landing. Headquartered in north Austin, Texas, Firefly is looking for passionate, hardworking innovators to join our team and help fuel our successful trajectory into space.SUMMARYIn this role you will help design, develop, test, and integrate the embedded flight software for Firefly spacecraft. You will work in a group of software engineers through all stages of spacecraft software development processes and collaborate with other engineering teams.RESPONSIBILITIESDesign, 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.QUALIFICATIONSRequiredBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.5+ 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.DesiredExperience 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.Firefly offers outstanding benefits for our employees, including generous health, dental and vision plans with low plan deductibles, parental leave, relocation benefits, educational reimbursement, short term disability, and flexible PTO options.To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you 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.Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Firefly is governed based on merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.