Sr. Embedded Flight Software Engineer

Orchard • Palo Alto, CA

1d

About The Position

@Orchard LLC is seeking a Senior Embedded Flight Software Engineer to support a client in the aerospace and space infrastructure industry. The role contributes to spacecraft flight software for complex space missions and next-generation aerospace technologies. The engineer designs, develops, integrates, and verifies embedded flight software supporting critical spacecraft operations, working with multidisciplinary engineering teams. The position is based in Palo Alto, California, or Houston, Texas.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
• Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field; four additional years of relevant experience may substitute for a degree.
• At least 8 years of professional software development experience.
• Strong embedded C++ programming skills.
• Basic understanding of Agile software development methodologies and the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Experience using software version control systems.

Nice To Haves

• Experience developing embedded software for RTOS platforms such as FreeRTOS or equivalent.
• Familiarity with NASA's Core Flight Software (cFS) and Core Flight Executive (cFE) frameworks.
• Experience with Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) communication protocols.
• Proficiency in Python for software development, automation, testing, or engineering applications.
• General understanding of spacecraft subsystems, including electrical power systems, attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), thermal management, propulsion systems, and communication systems.
• Experience using tools such as Jira, Jama, Git, and unit testing frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement embedded software for spacecraft real-time operating systems (RTOS).
• Develop, document, and maintain software architectures, requirements, algorithms, interfaces, and detailed flight-software designs.
• Develop and execute software verification plans, unit-level tests, open-loop test suites, and related testing procedures.
• Analyze and document test results to assess software functionality, performance, and compliance with system requirements.
• Manage embedded software through the complete development lifecycle, including design, implementation, integration, verification, and maintenance.
• Develop, evaluate, customize, and implement software engineering processes, development tools, and performance metrics.
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert in embedded software development, engineering processes, and system-specific technical challenges.
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams on spacecraft software integration and system-level requirements.
• Support software quality, reliability, and compliance through established engineering practices and development standards.
• Identify and resolve complex embedded software issues during development, integration, and testing.

Benefits

• Paid time off.
• Health and welfare insurance.
• 401(k) for eligible employees.
• Incentive-eligible compensation, with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results; the specific plan and target amount depend on the role and breadth of contributions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior