Spacecraft Embedded Firmware Engineer

Cowboy Space Corporation; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Daily office lunch

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is hiring for a firmware engineer to own spacecraft subsystem firmware from concept through on-orbit operations. You will design, implement, and debug embedded software across microcontrollers and FPGAs, focusing on power management, sensors, and control loops.

Collaborating with hardware and software teams, you’ll ensure reliable performance in challenging environments, participate in HIL testing, and contribute to FDIR strategies for robust space systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 3+ years of firmware or embedded software development experience.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems.
• Experience with microcontrollers and/or FPGAs.
• Familiarity with real-time systems and embedded debugging tools (JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers).
• Experience with hardware/software integration and board bring-up.

Responsibilities

• Own firmware development for spacecraft subsystems from concept through on-orbit operations
• Design, develop, and debug embedded firmware for microcontrollers, FPGAs, and custom hardware platforms
• Implement low-level drivers, communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN), and real-time control systems
• Develop firmware for power management, avionics interfaces, sensors, and actuator control
• Build robust, fault-tolerant systems with attention to reliability, determinism, and performance under constrained environments
• Support board bring-up, hardware integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
• Develop automated test frameworks and validation tools for embedded systems
• Collaborate closely with electrical, avionics, and software teams to define system architecture and interfaces
• Investigate anomalies, perform root cause analysis, and implement fixes across hardware/software boundaries
• Contribute to system-level design, including fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategies

Skills

C/C++ for embedded systems

microcontrollers and/or FPGAs

Embedded debugging tools

Real-time systems

Firmware development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

JTAG

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

FPGA development tools

Job description

Cowboy Space Corp. is hiring for a firmware engineer to own spacecraft subsystem firmware from concept through on-orbit operations. You will design, implement, and debug embedded software across microcontrollers and FPGAs, focusing on power management, sensors, and control loops.

Collaborating with hardware and software teams, you’ll ensure reliable performance in challenging environments, participate in HIL testing, and contribute to FDIR strategies for robust space systems.