Senior Embedded Flight Control Software Engineer (UAV)

Knightwerx; Scottsdale (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Knightwerx in Scottsdale, AZ seeks an experienced Embedded Software Engineer to develop, integrate, and optimize the flight control stack for a small unmanned electric aircraft. You will work with aeromechanical, avionics, and autonomy teams to deliver robust flight software from prototype through production.

The role requires hands-on experience with UAV autopilots (PX4/ArduPilot), real-time embedded systems, and interoperability standards like STANAG 4586.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of professional experience developing embedded software for UAV flight-control or safety-critical systems.
• Hands-on experience with UAV autopilots (e.g., PX4, ArduPilot) and flight testing.
• Experience with STANAG 4586 interoperability.
• Strong knowledge of MAVLink, RTPS and other UAV communication protocols.
• Experience with uORB, FastDDS, or similar frameworks for real-time UAV communications.
• Familiarity with mission planning, geospatial systems, and mapping software.

Responsibilities

• Develop, integrate, and maintain real-time flight-control software for UAS.
• Implement control loops, state estimation, and sensor fusion for stable, precise flight.
• Integrate avionics hardware, navigation sensors, payload/power modules, and comms into the flight stack.
• Conduct SIL/HIL simulations and bench testing; validate flight performance and failsafes.
• Support flight tests: pre-flight checkout, in-flight telemetry monitoring, post-flight log analysis.
• Collaborate with aerodynamics, propulsion, autonomy, and systems teams to tune performance.
• Maintain configuration management, version control, and documentation to safety/quality standards.

Skills

C++

Python

Rust

Real-time

Embedded

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience

Tools

Git

CMake

Qt

React

uORB

MAVLink

RTPS

FastDDS

PX4

ArduPilot

FreeRTOS

ChibiOS

NuttX

Job description

Knightwerx in Scottsdale, AZ seeks an experienced Embedded Software Engineer to develop, integrate, and optimize the flight control stack for a small unmanned electric aircraft. You will work with aeromechanical, avionics, and autonomy teams to deliver robust flight software from prototype through production.

The role requires hands-on experience with UAV autopilots (PX4/ArduPilot), real-time embedded systems, and interoperability standards like STANAG 4586.