Lead Flight Software & Controls Engineer

Approach Venture; Round Rock (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Approach Venture is seeking a Lead Flight Software Engineer in Texas to own the flight software architecture for unmanned aircraft. You will work across PX4, ArduPilot, and commercial platforms to build a flexible software stack supporting autonomy, C2, and external interfaces.

You will lead SIL/HIL environments, evaluate interfaces, and collaborate with avionics and navigation teams to ensure reliable operation in GPS-denied and challenging environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline.
• Hands-on flight software development or integration experience.
• Experience with embedded Linux or RTOS and C/C++.
• Familiarity with PX4, ArduPilot, Auterion, or similar platforms.
• Exposure to software configuration management and MAVLink.

Responsibilities

• Lead the flight software development, integration, and validation.
• Build interfaces connecting flight controllers, companion computers, and external systems.
• Establish SIL and HIL test environments for verification.
• Develop abstraction layers to reduce dependency on flight SDKs.
• Maintain ICDs for all system interfaces.
• Collaborate across avionics, navigation, and flight test teams.
• Document software architecture and verification results.

Skills

C/C++

Embedded Linux

Real-time systems

Flight software development

PX4/ArduPilot/Auterion

MAVLink

SIL/HIL testing

System integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering or related field

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

Auterion

MAVLink

uORB

DDS

Protobuf/JSON Schema

Job description

Approach Venture is seeking a Lead Flight Software Engineer in Texas to own the flight software architecture for unmanned aircraft. You will work across PX4, ArduPilot, and commercial platforms to build a flexible software stack supporting autonomy, C2, and external interfaces.

You will lead SIL/HIL environments, evaluate interfaces, and collaborate with avionics and navigation teams to ensure reliable operation in GPS-denied and challenging environments.