Senior Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer

Apex; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Apex

Healthcare coverage

PTO 15–20 days+ holidays

401(k) matching

Parental leave

Catered lunch & snacks

Office in Playa Vista

Stock options

Job summary

Apex is seeking a Senior Embedded Software Engineer for its Flight Software team to design and own software that brings spacecraft to life. You will work across mission ops, GNC, and hardware to architect systems, prototype ideas, and deliver mission-critical software that flies.

We value engineers who solve complex problems, balance rigor with practicality, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. The role involves hands-on driver development, testing, and collaboration across multiple avionics

Qualifications

• U.S. Person status required to access export controlled data.
• Bachelor's degree in CS, EE or equivalent, or equivalent professional experience.
• 8+ years writing C/C++ for embedded systems, ideally on spacecraft, robotics, automotive, or other hardware that interacts with the physical world.
• 3+ years of flight software experience.
• Experience developing firmware for microcontrollers, either bare-metal or on an RTOS.
• Experience writing and debugging low level device drivers over interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet, and CAN.
• Comfort with hardware/software integration, including reading schematics and using tools like oscilloscopes and logic analyzers to bring up new hardware.
• A solid understanding of microcontroller and microprocessor architecture, including memory, buses, and DMA.

Responsibilities

• Develop the low level software that configures and drives the processor peripherals and communication interfaces on our avionics.
• Write and debug the device drivers for the sensors, actuators, and components across the bus.
• Implement onboard algorithms, including closed loop control and the logic that detects and responds to faults such as failed sensors or radiation upsets.
• Write quick, iterative code to support bench and development testing, along with the rigorous, reviewed, and tested code that ships to manufacturing and flight.
• Provide embedded software input into new system and hardware designs.
• Support commissioning of spacecraft during launch and early operations, ensuring software systems remain functional during critical operations.

Skills

C/C++

Embedded

Flight software

RTOS

Microcontrollers

Device drivers

Education

Bachelors in CS/EE or equivalent

Tools

RTOS

Job description

Apex is seeking a Senior Embedded Software Engineer for its Flight Software team to design and own software that brings spacecraft to life. You will work across mission ops, GNC, and hardware to architect systems, prototype ideas, and deliver mission-critical software that flies.

We value engineers who solve complex problems, balance rigor with practicality, and thrive in a fast-paced environment. The role involves hands-on driver development, testing, and collaboration across multiple avionics