Staff Flight Software Engineer, Arc Vehicle Software

Frontdoor Defense; Vista (CA); In loco; USD 165.000 - 236.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

Inversion seeks a Staff Flight Software Engineer to own the end-to-end flight software architecture for the Arc hypersonic vehicle. You will report to the Engineering Manager of Arc Vehicle Software and serve as the principal software architect for the flight software running on the Arc vehicle.

You will lead embedded C/C++/Rust development, guide multi-rate GNC integration, and establish standards for safety-critical software while mentoring engineers and collaborating with system architects on

Competenze

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 9+ years of professional experience in embedded, real-time, or safety-critical software.
• Expertise in systems programming languages (C / C++ / Rust) in a Linux-based development environment.
• Deep understanding of embedded Linux, deterministic software execution, multi-threading, and memory management in resource-constrained environments.
• Proven track record of architecting and deploying flight software or high-reliability autonomous software on hardware that has operated in flight or harsh environments.
• Strong background in low-level drivers, networking, and hardware interface protocols (CAN, Ethernet, SPI, UART, or RS-422).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to lead complex software design reviews.

Mansioni

• Architect, write, and maintain high-reliability, fault-tolerant flight software for the Arc vehicle.
• Own the software architecture for critical vehicle state transitions, fault-management, power conservation, and autonomous mission execution.
• Lead integration and optimization of multi-rate GNC algorithms into the core C++ flight software loop.
• Establish embedded C++ development standards, coding guidelines, and software architectural patterns.
• Drive hardware-software boundary definition, board bring-up, and low-level debugging on target processors.
• Design and lead automated SIL and HIL test suites for robust code coverage.
• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers and promote rigorous software engineering practices.
• Collaborate with cross-functional system architects to define telemetry formats and hardware interfaces.

Conoscenze

Flight software architecture

Real-time systems

Software leadership

Verbal and written communication

Formazione

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/Aerospace or equivalent

Strumenti

C/C++/Rust

Embedded Linux

CAN

Ethernet

SPI

UART

RS-422

Descrizione del lavoro

Staff Flight Software Engineer, Arc VehicleArchitect and own the end-to-end flight software architecture for the Arc hypersonic vehicle

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

Compensation: $165,000 - 236,000 USD / year

Job Tags: Software

About The Role

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Who We Are:

Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space. Our mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demand logistics domain. We see space not as a destination, but as a platform - one that unlocks unprecedented speed and global reach. Our spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. These systems open the door to new ways of testing, delivering, and operating at hypersonic speeds. Inherently dual-use, our technology is built to meet urgent national security needs while laying the groundwork for future commercial applications. Backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, and working with partners such as the U.S. Space Force and NASA, Inversion is pushing the boundaries of what's possible in space-based defense and logistics.

What You'll Do

As a Staff Flight Software Engineer at Inversion, you will report directly to the Engineering Manager of Arc Vehicle Software. In this role, you will be a principal software architect and technical authority for the flight software running on our next-generation Arc hypersonic reentry vehicle. You will own the flight software architecture end-to-end, solving unprecedented technical challenges at the intersection of embedded hardware, safety-critical control loops, and autonomous flight state machines.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, write, and maintain high-reliability, fault-tolerant flight software in for the Arc vehicle.
• Own the software architecture for critical vehicle state transitions, fault-management, power conservation, and autonomous mission execution.
• Lead the integration and optimization of complex multi-rate Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) algorithms from the Reentry and Accurate Landing teams into the core C++ flight software loop.
• Establish company-wide embedded C++ development standards, coding guidelines, and software architectural patterns.
• Drive hardware-software boundary definition, board bring-up, and low-level debugging on target flight computer processors.
• Design and lead the development of highly automated Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test suites to achieve robust code coverage.
• Mentor senior and mid-level software engineers, fostering a culture of rigorous software engineering and technical excellence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional system architects to define telemetry formats, communication protocols, and hardware interface controls.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 9 + years of professional experience developing embedded, real-time, or safety-critical software.
• Expertise in systems programming languages (C / C++ / Rust) in a Linux-based development environment.
• Deep understanding of embedded Linux, deterministic software execution, multi-threading, and memory management in resource-constrained environments.
• Proven track record of architecting and deploying flight software or high-reliability autonomous software on hardware that has successfully operated in flight or harsh environments.
• Strong background in low-level drivers, networking, and hardware interface protocols (such as CAN, Ethernet, SPI, UART, or RS-422).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to lead complex software design reviews.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience developing flight software for spacecraft, launch vehicles, or safety-critical autonomous aerospace platforms