Firmware Engineer

Cowboy Space Corp.•San Carlos, CA

About The Position

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit compute to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth. Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
3+ years of experience in firmware or embedded software development
Strong programming skills in C/C++ for embedded systems
Experience working with microcontrollers and/or FPGAs
Familiarity with real-time systems and embedded debugging tools (JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers)
Experience with hardware/software integration and board bring-up

Nice To Haves

Experience developing firmware for aerospace, automotive, robotics, or other high-reliability systems
Familiarity with RTOS (e.g., FreeRTOS, VxWorks) and real-time scheduling concepts
Experience with communication stacks and networking protocols in embedded systems
Understanding of fault-tolerant design, redundancy, and high-reliability system architecture
Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing and system validation
Familiarity with Python or scripting for test automation and tooling
Familiarity with Rust, RTL, and knowledge of various database types
Experience working in fast-paced, high-ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles
Exposure to radiation-tolerant design considerations for space systems

Responsibilities

Own firmware development for spacecraft subsystems from concept through on-orbit operations
Design, develop, and debug embedded firmware for microcontrollers, FPGAs, and custom hardware platforms
Implement low-level drivers, communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN), and real-time control systems
Develop firmware for power management, avionics interfaces, sensors, and actuator control
Build robust, fault-tolerant systems with attention to reliability, determinism, and performance under constrained environments
Support board bring-up, hardware integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
Develop automated test frameworks and validation tools 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