Embedded Flight Software Engineer

Motive Workforce is partnering with a Los Angeles-based spacecraft technology company developing advanced spacecraft and mission solutions for commercial, scientific, and national security applications. We are seeking an experienced Embedded Flight Software Engineer with strong hands-on expertise in low-level embedded software, FPGA interfaces, device drivers, bootloaders, and spacecraft hardware integration. This role sits close to the hardware. You will develop the software responsible for spacecraft boot behavior, memory management, hardware interfaces, communications, and recovery systems. You will work directly with flight hardware and cross-functional engineering teams to take software from development through integration, testing, and flight readiness. What You'll Do

• Develop low-level C/C++ drivers, Board Support Packages (BSPs), and hardware interfaces for microcontrollers, FPGAs, and spacecraft electronics.
• Design and implement stage-1 and stage-2 bootloaders, partition swapping, fail-safe recovery modes, and robust boot sequences.
• Develop memory management strategies across NOR/NAND Flash, SRAM, EEPROM, and other volatile and non-volatile memory.
• Configure and integrate communication interfaces including SPI, I2C, CAN, UART, SpaceWire, PCIe, and similar protocols.
• Develop telemetry collection, time synchronization, and task scheduling functionality within RTOS and embedded operating system environments.
• Integrate FPGA logic blocks and hardware interfaces with flight software.
• Perform hardware-in-the-loop testing and debugging using flatsats, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and FPGA development tools.
• Execute software test campaigns on testbeds and flight hardware under flight-like conditions.
• Support automated testing, continuous integration, and CI/CD workflows.
• Work with electrical, systems, avionics, and other engineering teams to integrate spacecraft subsystems with the primary compute platform.
• Document software architecture, design decisions, test results, and system performance.
• Provide technical guidance on embedded and flight software architecture.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of embedded software engineering experience.
• Strong C and C++ programming experience.
• Hands-on experience developing low-level drivers, BSPs, bootloaders, or hardware interfaces.
• Experience with embedded Linux and Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
• Strong understanding of embedded hardware/software integration.
• Experience with Git or similar version control systems and automated testing workflows.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, highly technical engineering environment.
• Must be willing and eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense Top Secret security clearance.

Preferred Experience

• Developing custom drivers for FPGA logic blocks or hardware interfaces.
• Working with I2C, CAN, SPI, UART, SpaceWire, PCIe, or comparable communication protocols.
• Custom bootloader development and spacecraft boot/recovery architectures.
• Memory controller drivers, Flash file systems, image verification, partition management, or recovery techniques.
• Hardware-in-the-loop and flatsat testing.
• Clean room environments and ESD procedures.
• Spacecraft, aerospace, defense, or other highly reliable embedded systems.

Compensation

$130,000 - $180,000 annually Final compensation will depend on experience, education, technical expertise, and overall qualifications.

Benefits

The company offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Employer-paid medical coverage for employees
• Dental and vision coverage
• 401(k) with matching
• Flexible vacation policy
• Paid sick time and holidays
• Pregnancy and family leave
• Military service leave
• Additional employee benefits

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of embedded software engineering experience.
• Strong C and C++ programming experience.
• Hands-on experience developing low-level drivers, BSPs, bootloaders, or hardware interfaces.
• Experience with embedded Linux and Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
• Strong understanding of embedded hardware/software integration.
• Experience with Git or similar version control systems and automated testing workflows.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, highly technical engineering environment.
• Must be willing and eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense Top Secret security clearance.

Preferred Experience

• Developing custom drivers for FPGA logic blocks or hardware interfaces.
• Working with I2C, CAN, SPI, UART, SpaceWire, PCIe, or comparable communication protocols.
• Custom bootloader development and spacecraft boot/recovery architectures.
• Memory controller drivers, Flash file systems, image verification, partition management, or recovery techniques.
• Hardware-in-the-loop and flatsat testing.
• Clean room environments and ESD procedures.
• Spacecraft, aerospace, defense, or other highly reliable embedded systems.

Compensation

$130,000 - $180,000 annually Final compensation will depend on experience, education, technical expertise, and overall qualifications.

Benefits

The company offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Employer-paid medical coverage for employees
• Dental and vision coverage
• 401(k) with matching
• Flexible vacation policy
• Paid sick time and holidays
• Pregnancy and family leave
• Military service leave
• Additional employee benefits