Senior Software Engineer - Integrated Flight (ONSITE)

Prattwhitney; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 87,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Three weeks of vacation

Generous 401(k) with matching and Life

Tuition reimbursement

Life insurance and disability

Job summary

Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is hiring a Senior Software Engineer to shape the future of flight decks. The role focuses on embedded flight software for safety-critical systems, collaborating with systems, hardware, and AI/ML teams. Onsite work in Cedar Rapids, IA, is required.

You will develop deterministic software, validate through simulations and flight-test scenarios, and implement AI-assisted onboard features while ensuring aviation safety standards and secure coding practices.

Qualifications

• Degree in STEM and 5+ years of experience, or advanced degree with 3+ years.
• At least 3 years in avionics industry.
• 3+ years of DO-178B/C software development experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize embedded flight-software for safety-critical systems.
• Write high-performance, deterministic embedded software and debug/validate with simulations.
• Collaborate with systems, hardware, AI/ML, and flight-test teams.
• Implement AI-assisted onboard features like sensor fusion and anomaly detection.
• Perform debugging with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and HIL environments.
• Ensure DO-178 compliance and secure coding practices.

Skills

Embedded software

C/C++

DO-178B/C

Aviation safety

Team collaboration

Education

B.S. in STEM

Advanced Degree

Tools

Git

DevOps

Python

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-10-13 Country: United States of America Location: US-IA-CEDAR RAPIDS-106 ~ 400 Collins Rd NE ~ BLDG 106 Position Role Type: Onsite U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: The company will offer immigration sponsorship for this position, if needed. The company will not seek an export authorization for this role. Security Clearance Type: None/Not Required Security Clearance Status: Not Required

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world. Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense. We’re a team of engineers, innovators, and aviation enthusiasts who thrive on solving complex problems with elegant, high-impact solutions. Our culture blends deep technical rigor with a startup-like energy-rapid iteration, hands-on experimentation, and a passion for building things that fly. If you want to work on sleek, modern avionics products, experiment with cutting-edge technologies, and help shape the future of intelligent flight systems, this is the place to do it. We are looking for Senior Software Engineer ready to shape the future. Join our Integrated Flight – Advanced Flight Management Engineering team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play a key role in building the next era of aviation. As a Senior Software Engineer, you’ll leverage the latest in AI-driven development to build the precision, safety, and intelligence behind tomorrow’s commercial, business, and military Flight Decks. You won’t just be supporting technology; you’ll be shaping it—engineering avionics solutions trusted in the most demanding environments on the planet. This is an onsite position in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

What you will do:

• Develop and optimize embedded flight-software for safety-critical systems used in commercial aircraft and military platforms.
• Write high-performance, deterministic embedded software and conduct debugging and validation using simulation tools.
• Collaborate closely with systems engineers, hardware teams, AI/ML specialists, and flight-test personnel to deliver integrated avionics solutions that meet stringent aviation safety, performance, and certification requirements.
• Implement and support AI-assisted onboard features such as intelligent sensor fusion, anomaly detection, and autonomous control logic.
• Conduct debugging and validation using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, hardware debuggers, simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environments.
• Ensure compliance with aviation safety standards such as DO-178, and adherence to secure coding and cyber-resilience practices.
• Participate in flight-test operations, lab testing, and simulation runs to evaluate system performance under real-world and mission-critical conditions.

Qualifications you must have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 5 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 3 years of experience
• At least 3 years of experience in the avionics industry
• At least 3 years of DO-178B/C software development experience

Qualifications we prefer:

• Experience in high level programming languages (e.g. C, Python, C++ programming), Git, DevOps
• An emphasis on strong collaboration and communication skills, with a desire to achieve world class abilities to work within dynamic teams to solve challenging problems.
• Basic understanding of aircraft operational fundamentals is desirable, as the role involves executing flight test scenarios to validate system functionality and performance. This hands-on work will enable the candidate to directly contribute to the advancement of next-generation aerospace technologies.

Benefits and Compensation

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Carrot Health to hormonal health, fertility, and family building
• Adoption Assistance
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• And more!

The salary range for this role is 86,800 USD - 165,200 USD.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays.

Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

Equal Opportunity Statement

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

RTX is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. It comprises three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Its 195,000 employees enable the company to operate at the edge of known science as they imagine and deliver solutions that push the boundaries in quantum physics, electric propulsion, directed energy, hypersonics, avionics and cybersecurity. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products. Regardless of your role type, collaboration and innovation are critical to our business and all employees will have access to digital tools so they can work with colleagues around the world – and access to Collins sites when their work requires in-person meetings. At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other -- propel us all higher, again and again.