Software Engineer – Systems Integration

Department: Engineering

Location: Long Beach CA

Employment Type: FullTime

About Odys

Our mission at Odys is simple - we build safe, sustainable aircraft to cut travel time in half on the world's busiest corridors. Our flagship aircraft Alta enables travelers to skip the big-airport hassle by using city helipads and local airports to connect cities less than 1,000 miles apart (approx 40% of flights). And on average cut CO2 by 76% on tens of billions of flight miles globally.

To get there, we start with our UAV called Laila for commercial logistics, medical transport, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and defense missions. We’re deploying aircraft with launch partners (Fiji Airways, Honeywell, Aramex, US Navy) beginning in late 2025 and already have firm orders for aircraft under contract.

We’re a team of expert engineers from deep tech and aerospace that focus on fast iterations loops (completed transition flight faster than our peers) combined with mastery of the aircraft certification process. Previously, our team developed custom drones, brought multiple automotive platforms into production, and electrified transportation vehicles that magnetically levitate, that roll, that fly. Together, we’ve been learning, developing, building, testing, and preparing for this challenge our entire lives.

About The Role

Are you passionate about building and integrating the software systems that make advanced unmanned aircraft fly autonomously and reliably? Do you thrive at the intersection of embedded development, real-time data processing, and complex system integration? If so, we invite you to join our engineering team as Software Engineer – Systems Integration.

In this role, you will contribute to the design, implementation, and integration of our on-board and ground software architectures — enabling robust command & control, payload management, and autonomous operations. You will work closely with avionics, systems, and GCS teams to deliver safe, reliable, certifiable, and high-performance software for our dual-use UAS platform.

This is a hands-on, cross-disciplinary engineering position combining embedded development, application programming, system integration, and field validation. You will be central to how our UAS core functions — from navigation to payload control — connect and perform as a unified system.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain embedded and application-level software for UAS subsystems including flight control, mission logic, communication links, and payload interfaces.

• Integrate avionics, sensors, and payloads into a cohesive onboard system — including autopilot, navigation, vision, electrical, mechanical, and power management components.

• Contribute to the integration between airborne software and the Ground Control Station (GCS), enabling robust telemetry, video, and C2 links.

• Implement real-time communication and streaming protocols (e.g., MAVLink, Ethernet, CAN, RTSP, UDP, or proprietary links).

• Lead software-hardware integration, debugging, and validation using SIL/HIL test setups and during ground or flight test campaigns.

• Develop automated test environments and contribute to CI/CD workflows for software delivery and regression testing.

• Support requirements definition, ICD documentation, and traceability for software and integration tasks in collaboration with system engineering.

• Collaborate with avionics and systems teams to ensure compliance with redundancy, fault tolerance, and safety design principles.

• Participate in software reviews, interface discussions, integration planning, and verification & validation activities across hardware and software domains.

• Analyze flight logs and system data to characterize system performance, identify system improvements and software optimization opportunities.

• Contribute to the development of onboard autonomy features including sensing, detection, and vision-based navigation.

Required Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Electronic, Aerospace, or Systems Engineering (or equivalent).

• 2+ years of experience in software development or system integration for UASs, eVTOLs, or other embedded aerospace/robotics systems.

• Proficiency in C/C++ and Python for embedded or real-time software.

• Strong experience with Linux (embedded and desktop) and middleware for robotic or avionics applications.

• Hands-on experience integrating avionics and payload subsystems, including sensors, controllers, actuators, communications, and data links.

• Familiarity with data communication protocols such as RS-232/422/485, CAN, ARINC 429, and Mil-Std-1553

• Familiarity with MAVLink, STANAG-4586 or similar command and telemetry protocols.

• Experience with video/data streaming technologies (e.g., GStreamer, FFmpeg, OpenCV).

• Familiarity with network protocols, network configuration, and network analysis tools (e.g. WireShark)

• Strong understanding of hardware/software interaction and real-time debugging on SoMs such as NVIDIA Jetson or NXP iMX.

• Experience with simulation and HIL testing for UASs, avionics, or robotic systems.

• Excellent teamwork and communication skills across mechanical, electrical, and software domains.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in flight-critical or safety-critical software development (DO-178C or equivalent).

• Knowledge of system safety, fault tolerance, and reliability methods such as FDIR or fail-safe redundant architectures.

• Experience with model-based development, methodologies, or software design tools (Simulink, System Composer, Cameo, Capella, SCADE, UML, SysML, etc.).

• Familiarity with RTOS concepts, ROS/ROS2 or equivalent robotics frameworks.

• Experience integrating GNSS, vision, or RF-based navigation systems.

• Understanding of SORA/SAIL frameworks and EASA UAS regulatory environment.

• Experience with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker), and Git-based workflows.

• Exposure to modular avionics or networked FCC architectures.

• Familiarity with software test & code analysis tools such as VectorCast, LDRA, Coverity, and Understand

• Familiarity with cybersecurity concepts, techniques, mitigations, and testing

• Interest in UAS autonomy, perception, and future GNSS-denied operations.