Senior Software Engineer - Embedded

Skydio · Defense · San Mateo, CA +1 · R&D

Senior Software Engineer role focused on embedded firmware for autonomous drones, involving bare metal, RTOS, and embedded Linux development on microcontrollers and SOCs. Responsibilities include architecting, building, and leading the development of complex embedded systems, integrating and validating subsystems, and debugging hardware.

What you'd actually do

  1. Provide technical direction and architecture of complex systems
  2. Design and implement the embedded software that runs on the vehicle
  3. Characterize, integrate, and validate key subsystems (e.g. next-gen camera, radio)
  4. Bring up and debug new hardware
  5. Write interfaces and drivers for sensors and other devices

Skills

Required

  • modern C++ in a real-time embedded environment
  • Python development experience
  • clean code with appropriate abstraction boundaries
  • SOC development (Qualcomm devices a plus), embedded microcontrollers, camera drivers
  • Practical experience writing firmware/embedded code for a physical device
  • Embedded linux userspace and kernel development
  • Fundamental knowledge of low-level firmware
  • Hands-on hardware bring-up, system debugging and code optimization
  • Knowledge of debugging systems at ARM assembly code level
  • Embedded security and cryptographic firmware development

What the JD emphasized

  • modern C++ in a real-time embedded environment
  • SOC development (Qualcomm devices a plus), embedded microcontrollers, camera drivers
  • Fundamental knowledge of low-level firmware
  • Hands-on hardware bring-up, system debugging and code optimization
  • Embedded security and cryptographic firmware development