Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Systems

Team: Engineering

Location: Byron, CA

Commitment: Full-time

Workplace Type: hybrid

The Role

As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer, you will own software that runs directly on safety-critical avionics hardware including our main flight computers. You will work at the intersection of firmware, real-time systems, and hardware bring-up, and you will contribute to a team culture where everyone is expected to understand the system end to end. This is not a siloed firmware role: you will interact with engineers from a wide variety of disciplines on a daily basis, including systems engineering, controls, flight physics, power electronics, and aeromechanical.

What You'll Work On

Embedded firmware for microcontrollers and SoCs in a bare-metal and/or RTOS environment (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar)

Driver development, peripheral integration, and board bring-up for custom hardware platforms

Real-time control loops and sensor fusion pipelines where timing and determinism are non-negotiable

Hardware debugging: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, and willingness to get comfortable with a schematic

C++ and Python tooling for testing, scripting, and automation around embedded targets

Development of models and emulators for aircraft components to ensure hardware behavior is faithfully represented in our cloud simulation framework

What We're Looking For

You probably have:

5+ years of professional embedded software development, with production firmware shipped on real hardware

Deep fluency in C and/or C++; Python for scripting and test tooling

Hands-on experience with at least one RTOS and with bare-metal development

Comfort reading schematics, using bench instruments, and debugging hardware/software integration issues at the signal level

Experience with communications protocols: SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet

Strong opinions about code quality, testability, and the difference between software that works in the lab and software that works in the field

It’s a bonus if you have:

Experience in aerospace, defense, robotics, or other safety-critical domains

Familiarity with DO-178, MISRA, or other embedded software standards

Exposure to desktop tooling or visualization for hardware debug and test workflows

Experience with CI/CD pipelines for embedded targets (HIL, SIL, emulation)

Our Stack

Primary languages: C++ and Python

RTOS: FreeRTOS and bare-metal depending on target

Toolchains: GCC/Clang cross-compilers, CMake, custom build infrastructure

Version control and CI: Git, GitHub, cloud-based batch simulation and test runners

Modern AI coding tools used as productivity accelerators, not as a substitute for engineering judgment

Who We Are

Elroy’s software team is small, senior, and exceptionally cross-functional. Most engineers here are comfortable working across embedded firmware, desktop tools, and cloud infrastructure. Not because we expect everyone to be an expert in everything, but because we value curiosity and adaptability over and above having all of the answers on day one. We're looking for someone who brings deep experience in embedded and real-time systems, and isn't afraid to range beyond that when the work calls for it.

What We Offer

Competitive salary
Equity ownership in a rapidly growing advanced aerospace company
Comprehensive medical benefits
401(k) with company contribution + Roth IRA
Free daily lunch provided onsite
Flexible time-off policy
3 months of paid parental leave
Employee assistance program with 24/7 support
High-impact startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy
Opportunities for rapid career growth and internal advancement
You’ll work with a motivated, kind, and highly skilled team
You'll help shape and define our company culture and values
You'll help build and scale a new category of aerospace / logistics technology

We encourage you to apply even if you aren't an exact match for our open role as many of our team members come from nontraditional backgrounds.
 
Elroy Air is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.
 
We are committed to an inclusive, harassment-free workplace and we gladly provide reasonable accommodations to support our team.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States as a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder). All employees will be screened through E-Verify.

Elroy Air does not engage with external recruiting agencies/individual recruiters that we do not have a written agreement with and all employment activities are managed through our internal team. We reserve the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.