Senior Engineering Manager – Firestorm OS

Roboticsconnected; San Diego (CA); In loco; USD 175.000 - 220.000; Tempo pieno

Vantaggi offerti da questo lavoro

Medical, dental, vision plans

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan

Equity grants

Unlimited PTO

Parental Leave

Life insurance

Disability coverage

Mental Health Resources

Descrizione del lavoro

Firestorm, based in San Diego, seeks a Senior Engineering Manager to lead the Firestorm OS team. You will own the platform’s direction, work across autonomy, avionics, and systems engineering, and drive the architecture and delivery of an adaptable OS for modular autonomous aircraft.

You will hire and mentor engineers, shape design and release practices, and deliver robust software platforms that scale across mission sets and hardware configurations.

Competenze

• 8+ years building and shipping embedded, systems, or Linux-based software.
• Strong C/C++ experience and deep embedded Linux fundamentals.
• Experience designing software platforms, APIs, or shared services across multiple products.

Mansioni

• Own the team responsible for the common software platform across Firestorm aircraft.
• Define system boundaries, interfaces, services, and abstractions for hardware configurations.
• Lead development of Linux services, communications, media, radios, SDKs, and hardware interfaces.
• Turn aircraft and product needs into clear priorities, technical work, and reliable releases.
• Work with multiple engineering disciplines to integrate new hardware and capabilities.
• Establish design, testing, code review, diagnostics, packaging, deployment, and release practices.

Conoscenze

Embedded Linux

C/C++

Software architecture

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Descrizione del lavoro

Who We Are

At Firestorm, we are building the future of expeditionary defense manufacturing and autonomous systems. Modern conflict has exposed a fundamental problem: the systems needed most by operators are often too expensive, too slow to produce, and too difficult to sustain at scale. Firestorm exists to change that.

We develop mission-adaptable aerial systems and deployable manufacturing infrastructure designed to put capability directly into the hands of the warfighter. From modular unmanned aircraft to xCell — our deployable microfactory — our goal is to make defense systems rapidly deployable, adaptable, and producible at the point of need.

We are looking for builders, operators, and problem-solvers who want to work on meaningful technology with real-world impact.

About the Role

Firestorm builds modular autonomous aircraft designed to adapt across missions, payloads, and deployment environments.

Firestorm OS is the common software platform that enables those aircraft. It provides the Linux-based services, communications, media, hardware interfaces, SDKs, and system capabilities used across Firestorm aircraft and their variants.

As the aircraft portfolio grows, Firestorm OS has to remain reusable across different sensors, payloads, radios, propulsion systems, and compute platforms while providing stable interfaces to autonomy and application software.

We are hiring a Senior Engineering Manager to lead the Firestorm OS team. You will own the team, technical direction, and execution of the platform while remaining close to the architecture and software. You will work across autonomy, avionics, electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering to build an OS platform that evolves Firestorm’s aircraft portfolio.

What You’ll Do

• — Own the team responsible for the common software platform across Firestorm aircraft.
• — Define system boundaries, interfaces, services, and abstractions that allow Firestorm OS to support multiple aircraft and hardware configurations.
• — Lead development of Linux services, communications, media, radios, SDKs, hardware interfaces, and other shared platform capabilities.
• — Turn aircraft and product needs into clear priorities, technical work, and reliable software releases.
• — Work with autonomy, avionics, payload, electrical, and systems teams to integrate new hardware and capabilities without creating one-off solutions.
• — Establish strong practices for design, testing, code review, diagnostics, packaging, deployment, and release.
• — Lead resolution of difficult problems that cross application software, Linux, networking, hardware, and aircraft interfaces.
• — Hire, develop, and lead engineers with strong embedded Linux and systems software fundamentals.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years building and shipping embedded, systems, or Linux-based software
• 3+ years leading software engineering teams with responsibility for people, execution, and delivery
• Strong C or C++ experience and deep embedded Linux fundamentals
• Experience designing software platforms, APIs, or shared services used across multiple products or systems
• Experience developing Linux applications, system services, networking, and software that interfaces with hardware
• Experience integrating software across complex hardware and software boundaries
• Strong understanding of reliability, debugging, testing, and release practices for deployed systems
• Demonstrated ability to make technical tradeoffs and drive ambiguous system problems from architecture through delivery
• Strong written and verbal communication across software and hardware engineering teams
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building software for autonomous systems, robotics, aircraft, or other complex embedded products
• Experience with vehicle or robotics interfaces such as MAVLink, PX4, ArduPilot, or similar platforms
• Experience building SDKs, hardware abstraction layers, or platform APIs for other engineering teams

Work Environment

This role is based in San Diego, CA. We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.

Compensation

US Salary Range: $175,000 – $220,000 USD

The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, certifications, specialized skills, geographic location, and business needs. Actual compensation may vary, and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve.

Benefits & Perks

• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Equity grants for new hires
• Unlimited PTO
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in July & December.
• Generous Parental Leave
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• FSA
• DCFSA
• HSA
• Hospital Indemnity insurance
• Critical Illness insurance
• Accident insurance
• Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.

Export Control Compliance

To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), 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 otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.

Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [e-mail] so we can provide the support you need.