Principal Embedded Software Engineer

Location: Fort Worth, TX or Palmdale, CA
Type: Direct Hire
Compensation: + Bonus Eligible + Full Robust Benefits Plan
Clearance Requirement: Active Secret Clearance Required
Work Arrangement: 100% Onsite
Travel: Up to 10%

Why This Role Matters

This position supports the development of advanced embedded and avionics software systems for next-generation military aircraft platforms. The work directly impacts mission readiness, operational capability, and the future modernization of aerospace and defense technologies.

This is a highly technical engineering role focused on embedded software development, real-time operating systems, avionics integration, hardware/software interaction, and safety-critical software environments. The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on engineering depth and experience working within complex aerospace or defense programs.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Principal Embedded Software Engineer to support mission-critical software development efforts within a military aviation environment. This individual will work across the software development lifecycle including architecture, development, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and deployment of embedded software solutions.

The engineer will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams supporting avionics systems, embedded platforms, hardware integration labs, and flight software environments. This role requires a self-driven technical leader capable of operating independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative engineering organization.

Core Responsibilities

• Develop embedded software solutions using C++ within safety-critical and real-time environments
• Support software integration, testing, and troubleshooting across lab and hardware platforms
• Work within RTOS and embedded Linux environments supporting avionics systems
• Participate in hardware/software integration and system validation activities
• Contribute to embedded flight software development efforts
• Support simulation, integration, and verification activities including SIL/MIL/HIL testing
• Collaborate with engineering teams across software, systems, FPGA, and hardware disciplines
• Assist with technical documentation, design reviews, and engineering analysis
• Support mission-critical software deployments within aerospace and defense programs

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of embedded software engineering experience
• Strong C++ development experience
• Experience working in RTOS environments such as VxWorks, Integrity, or MOSA.ic
• Embedded Linux development experience including Yocto and/or RHEL
• Experience with bare metal embedded environments
• Flight software or avionics systems experience
• Software integration and hardware lab testing experience
• Ability to work onsite full-time
• Active Secret Clearance required
• Ability to travel up to 10%

Preferred Qualifications

• FPGA software or hardware interaction experience
• Xilinx FPGA and Vivado experience
• Python development for tooling, automation, or simulation support
• Experience with SIL/MIL/HIL simulation environments
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) concepts and tools
• Experience with DO-178C safety-critical development processes
• Navigation, Guidance & Control experience
• Signal Processing implementation experience
• Atlassian tools experience including Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket
• GitLab or modern version control workflow experience
• Strong technical communication and documentation skills