Embedded Software Engineer

Cowboy Space Corp.•San Carlos, CA

3d•$130,000 - $185,000•Onsite

About The Position

Cowboy Space Corporation is seeking an Embedded Software Engineer to take ownership of real-time software for spacecraft subsystems, including power distribution, thermal control, and related avionics boards. This role involves working within a small embedded team and spans the full software lifecycle: board bring-up, driver and application development, hardware/software debugging, and supporting reliable firmware updates for hardware in the field and on orbit. The engineer will be responsible for a significant portion of the embedded software stack after an initial ramp-up period.

Requirements

3+ years of experience (or equivalent practical experience) in embedded software or firmware development
Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems
Experience developing for embedded microcontrollers, including work with RTOS-based (e.g., FreeRTOS) and/or bare-metal environments
Comfort working at the hardware boundary: reading schematics, using debugging tools (JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers), and reasoning about electrical behavior
Experience with hardware/software integration and board bring-up
Ability to own a subsystem largely independently after ramp-up

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
Experience developing embedded software for aerospace, automotive, robotics, or other high-reliability systems
Experience with common embedded communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN) and embedded networking stacks
Experience building or working with firmware update and bootloader systems for deployed or remote hardware
Understanding of fault-tolerant design, redundancy, and high-reliability system architecture
Experience with HITL testing and system validation
Familiarity with Python or scripting for test automation and tooling; interest or experience in Rust for embedded development is a plus
Experience working in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles
Exposure to radiation-tolerant design considerations for space systems

Responsibilities

Own embedded software for spacecraft subsystems from concept through on-orbit operations
Design, develop, and debug real-time embedded software for microcontroller-based avionics boards in both FreeRTOS and bare-metal environments
Implement low-level drivers, peripheral interfaces, and real-time control loops for power distribution, thermal control, sensors, and actuators
Build and maintain software supporting board bring-up as well as safe, robust in-field and in-flight firmware update mechanisms
Integrate with and develop robust command and telemetry infrastructure
Work deeply at the software-to-hardware boundary: read schematics, understand pinouts, drive physical hardware, and diagnose issues that could originate in firmware or hardware
Build robust, fault-tolerant systems with attention to reliability, determinism, and performance in constrained environments
Support board bring-up, hardware integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) testing
Develop automated test frameworks and validation tooling for embedded systems
Collaborate closely with electrical, avionics, and software teams to define system architecture and interfaces
Investigate anomalies, perform root cause analysis, and implement fixes across hardware/software boundaries
Contribute to system-level design, including fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) strategies