Embedded Software Engineer (Drone Stack)

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Build and tailor modular, rapidly adaptable autonomy capabilities for a wide range of defense missions, fielding them on embedded Linux and other compute platforms while interfacing with onboard sensors and capturing…
• Work alongside autonomy engineers to marry autonomy software with vehicle hardware — achieving full integration with aircraft autopilots, datalinks, sensor payloads, PNT/GPS/INS, and ground control stations — and to…
• Perform system-level bring-up, test, and validation spanning software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) evaluation, and participate in live flight testing across Group 1–5 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
• Diagnose and resolve challenging software and integration problems to keep systems performant and dependable
• Engage directly with DoD warfighter domain experts and partner with third-party UAS vendors to bring Applied's autonomy software onto OEM aircraft hardware

Job requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Robotics, Computer Science, or a related engineering discipline
• 3+ years of hands-on robotics experience spanning hardware, software, and systems integration
• Proficiency in a modern programming language (modern C++ is required), with development experience in Docker, containerized deployments, and Linux distributions such as Ubuntu or RHEL, and comfort with everyday tooling…
• Hands-on integration of robotics or autonomy products with Pixhawk-family autopilots (ArduPilot and/or PX4), plus working knowledge of common communication buses and protocols: UART/RS232/RS422/RS485, SPI/QSPI, I2C,…
• Exposure to real-time, edge, and safety-critical computing in SIL, HIL, test, and operational settings, paired with strong communication skills and a customer-first approach to project delivery
• Ability to travel for on-site integrations and demos (roughly 10–20%); U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and hold a U.S. security clearance required