Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Systems

Elroyair; Byron (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Elroy Air is building autonomous VTOL cargo aircraft systems to transform how goods move. The embedded software team writes the code that flies the plane in real conditions, spanning bare-metal firmware to hardware bring-up.

As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer, you will own software on safety-critical avionics hardware, collaborate across disciplines, and help grow a small, senior, cross-functional team that values curiosity and practical engineering.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional embedded software development with production firmware shipped on real hardware.
• Deep fluency in C and/or C++; Python for scripting and tooling.
• Hands-on experience with at least one RTOS and bare-metal development.
• Comfort reading schematics and debugging hardware/software integration at the signal level.
• Experience with SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet.
• Strong opinions about code quality and testability; differentiating lab vs field software.

Responsibilities

• Embedded firmware for microcontrollers and SoCs in bare-metal or RTOS environments (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar).
• Driver development, peripheral integration, and board bring-up for custom hardware platforms.
• Real-time control loops and sensor fusion pipelines requiring determinism.
• Hardware debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG; read schematics as needed.
• C++ and Python tooling for testing, scripting, and automation around embedded targets.
• Develop models and emulators for aircraft components to align hardware behavior with cloud simulations.

Skills

C/C++

Python

RTOS experience

Firmware debugging

Tools

GCC/Clang cross-compilers

CMake

JTAG

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

Job description

At Elroy Air, we build autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo aircraft systems to change the way the world moves goods. Transporting cargo by air is faster and more direct than by land or sea, but before recent technological and regulatory developments, it was prohibitively expensive. We've set out to expand middle-mile logistics possibilities across multiple sectors, with our sights on a $420Bn global total addressable market for cargo logistics across defense, commercial and rapid response.

The commercial express shipping industry needs faster, better solutions - and our armed forces are increasingly prioritizing new unmanned aerial cargo delivery systems.

These partners and customers are already responding enthusiastically to the system we've built. As we mature and deploy these systems, we are looking for people like you: motivated collaborators, excited by our mission and by the rare opportunity to improve how logistics works around the world. You will play an important role in establishing the Elroy Air Chaparral as the industry standard in this massive market.

We believe diverse perspectives at all levels of the organization are critical to innovation and employee development. This includes but is not limited to gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, age, ability, parenthood status, veteran status, educational background, citizenship status, or any combination of these characteristics.

Elroy builds autonomous aerospace systems for the real world. At the heart of those systems is a hard real time, safety critical software stack that has to work under any circumstances, with no margin for "close enough". The embedded software team writes the code that flies the plane in any conditions. This role spans the full embedded stack, from bare-metal firmware and RTOS integration to hardware bring-up and bench debugging. If you thrive on hard constraints, enjoy working close to the metal, and want your code to matter, read on.

As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer, you will own software that runs directly on safety-critical avionics hardware including our main flight computers. You will work at the intersection of firmware, real-time systems, and hardware bring-up, and you will contribute to a team culture where everyone is expected to understand the system end to end. This is not a siloed firmware role: you will interact with engineers from a wide variety of disciplines on a daily basis, including systems engineering, controls, flight physics, power electronics, and aeromechanical.

• Embedded firmware for microcontrollers and SoCs in a bare-metal and/or RTOS environment (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar)
• Driver development, peripheral integration, and board bring-up for custom hardware platforms
• Real-time control loops and sensor fusion pipelines where timing and determinism are non-negotiable
• Hardware debugging: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, and willingness to get comfortable with a schematic
• C++ and Python tooling for testing, scripting, and automation around embedded targets
• Development of models and emulators for aircraft components to ensure hardware behavior is faithfully represented in our cloud simulation framework

You probably have:

• 5+ years of professional embedded software development, with production firmware shipped on real hardware
• Deep fluency in C and/or C++; Python for scripting and test tooling
• Hands‑on experience with at least one RTOS and with bare-metal development
• Comfort reading schematics, using bench instruments, and debugging hardware/software integration issues at the signal level
• Experience with communications protocols: SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet
• Strong opinions about code quality, testability, and the difference between software that works in the lab and software that works in the field

It’s a bonus if you have:

• Experience in aerospace, defense, robotics, or other safety‑critical domains
• Familiarity with DO‑178, MISRA, or other embedded software standards
• Exposure to desktop tooling or visualization for hardware debug and test workflows
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines for embedded targets (HIL, SIL, emulation)

• Primary languages: C++ and Python
• RTOS: FreeRTOS and bare‑metal depending on target
• Toolchains: GCC/Clang cross‑compilers, CMake, custom build infrastructure
• Version control and CI: Git, GitHub, cloud‑based batch simulation and test runners
• Modern AI coding tools used as productivity accelerators, not as a substitute for engineering judgment

Elroy’s software team is small, senior, and exceptionally cross‑functional. Most engineers here are comfortable working across embedded firmware, desktop tools, and cloud infrastructure. Not because we expect everyone to be an expert in everything, but because we value curiosity and adaptability over and above having all of the answers on day one. We're looking for someone who brings deep experience in embedded and real‑time systems, and isn't afraid to range beyond that when the work calls for it.

We encourage you to apply even if you aren't an exact match for our open role as many of our team members come from nontraditional backgrounds.

All employees will be screened through E-Verify.

This position will require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Please note that any offer for employment will be conditioned on any required authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations necessary to perform the responsibilities of the position.

Elroy Air does not engage with external recruiting agencies/individual recruiters that we do not have a written agreement with and all employment activities are managed through our internal team. We reserve the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.