Senior Flight Software Engineer, Embedded C/C++, Air Dominance & Strike - Advanced Effects

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 166,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Parental leave

401k

Health insurance

Flexible time off

Equity

Free meals

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking an experienced GNC Engineer to advance flight software for subsonic to hypersonic systems. You will develop, test, and integrate GNC architectures for autonomous aircraft and contribute to mission-critical defense programs.

The role requires 8+ years in industry, a bachelor's in CS/EE, DO-178 or similar, strong C, low-level embedded software experience, and ability to obtain US security clearance.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of industry experience in flight software or embedded systems.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Direct experience with DO-178 or similar safety certifications.
• Direct experience with aircraft embedded software or safety-critical systems.
• Strong C programming skills and low-level architecture knowledge.
• Experience with microcontrollers, peripherals, and bus protocols (CAN, ARINC).
• Proficiency with debugging tools and revision control systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop microcontroller software using an RTOS in embedded environments.
• Create drivers, protocols, and APIs for aircraft sensors.
• Integrate features and sensors into flight controller software.
• Design aircraft control systems and SITL/HITL fixtures.
• Analyze flight test results and support manufacturing and deployments.

Skills

C programming

Embedded systems

Debugging

Device drivers

CAN protocols

ARINC protocols

Security clearance

Low-level architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

RTOS

CAN bus tools

Git

Job description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

The Flight Software team at Anduril develops flight computer vehicle software for all airborne and subsea vehicles. The right person for this role has experience in both commercial (product focused) and public sector (defense) technical environments, and is looking to leverage their passion for avionics and flight software.

Join our Flight Engineering team advancing theAir Dominance and Strike division’s portfolio, where we push the boundaries of aerospace technology. We are seeking exceptional GNC Engineers to shape the next generation of advanced tactical missile systems, strategic weapons, and hypersonic strike and defense systems. As a key contributor, you will develop, test, and integrate cutting‑edge GNC architectures for subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic autonomous systems, driving innovation in mission‑critical capabilities.

ANDURIL PRODUCTS Anduril has been selected as one of two vendors to move forward on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program for the Air Force’s flagship autonomous aircraft program. During the next phase, Anduril will design, manufacture, and test production-representative CCAs. We are honored to be part of the program as a non‑traditional defense company and are seeking highly motivated candidates to join us in the rapid development of a new, revolutionary aircraft. For more information on the latest with Anduril, visit our Newsroom with articles such as “Andurila year in review” and many more. Watch this short video showcasing our products at Anduril.

Products these teams work on:

• Barracuda
• Roadrunner
• And other missile programs that are not public yet.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Develop microcontroller software using an RTOS
• Develop device drivers, protocols, and APIs for aircraft sensors
• Integrate new features and sensors into flight controller software
• Create aircraft control systems
• Create SITL/HITL test fixtures
• Analyze flight test results
• Support device manufacturing efforts
• Support operational aircraft deployments

CORE REQUIREMENTS

• 8+ years of experience in industry
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, etc., or equivalent experience
• Direct experience with DO-178 standards or similar certifications
• Direct experience in aircraft embedded software or other safety critical systems
• Strong C programming skills
• Background in low‑level embedded software architecture, design and development
• Low‑level device driver development, experience with microcontrollers and application processors
• Comfortable with typical embedded systems tools, compilers, debuggers and IDEs
• Familiarity with communications busses and protocols such as CAN, CANFD, ARINC-825, ARINC-429, MIL-STD-1553, UART/RS232/RS422/RS485, SPI, QSPI, I2C, Ethernet, etc.
• Strong debugging skills through use of instrumentation such as oscilloscopes and protocol analyzers
• Familiarity with revision control systems
• Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. security clearance

WHAT WE VALUE IN FLIGHT SOFTWARE

• Bias towards delivery and iteration, in order to discover the right use cases to invest engineering time in
• Willing to take risks and own the accountability for managing those risks
• Passionate about solving real world problems, quickly
• Insatiable desire to build and create
• Has designed, built, delivered useful software to users multiple times, we want to hear war stories!

BENEFITS

• Competitive base salary + premium benefits + equity (final salary will be based on a number of factors including, level, relevant prior experience, skills and expertise)
• Flexible Time off Policy and Company-wide Holidays (including a winter break)
• Premium Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
• Retirement; 401k offering
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave
• Family planning: We’re proud to offer comprehensive family planning support. Fertility planning and treatment, adoption support, gestational carrier support and fertility preservation are all included.
• Unlimited Provisions: From breakfast to dinner, our kitchen team has you covered with healthy meals and snacks at every office.
• Relocation assistance

US Salary Range

$166,000—$253,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril’s total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.