Firmware Engineer

Allen Control Systems•Mountain View, CA

About The Position

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing an autonomous gun turret using advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely detect, track, and neutralize enemy drones. With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders’ successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact. About The Role We are looking for a Firmware Engineer to own the low-level embedded software that runs our autonomous aircraft in the field. This is a deep individual contributor role for someone with 4+ years of industry experience who can operate at the architecture and design level from day one. You will make real decisions about bare-metal versus RTOS tradeoffs, sensor and peripheral integration, deployment strategies for fielded aircraft, and the HIL testing infrastructure that validates it all. You are expected to document and justify those decisions with the same rigor you apply to the code itself.

Requirements

4+ years of industry experience in embedded firmware development; fluency in C and C++ is required.
Deep understanding of bare-metal and RTOS embedded architectures; strong working knowledge of embedded communication protocols including CAN, I2C, UART, and Ethernet and the ability to select the right tool for each application.
Solid experience with bootloader design and firmware deployment for fielded systems; experience setting up hardware-in-the-loop testing environments.
High standards for code quality and correctness; demonstrated ability to document and justify architectural decisions clearly and concisely so that design rationale is durable and legible to others.

Nice To Haves

Background in aerospace, defense, or aviation; prior experience with HIL testing of aircraft or flight control systems specifically.
Hands-on experience with STM32 microcontrollers and associated toolchains.
Experience with safety-critical or DO-178C certified software development practices.
Exposure to autonomous systems, robotics, or UAS platforms at the firmware level.

Responsibilities

Own the architecture and implementation of time- and safety-critical embedded firmware on STM32-based platforms; evaluate existing firmware ecosystems and make well-reasoned decisions about what to carry forward versus redesign from scratch.
Write drivers for sensors and peripherals; select and configure communication protocols including CAN, I2C, UART, and Ethernet appropriate to each use case.
Determine and implement deployment strategies for fielded aircraft, including bootloader design and over-the-air or field update approaches.
Set up and maintain hardware-in-the-loop testing infrastructure; produce thorough design documentation that captures architectural decisions, protocol selections, and tradeoffs clearly enough to stand on their own.