Software Architecture and Certification Engineer

Grid Aero•San Leandro, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Grid.aero is seeking a Software Architecture and Certification Engineer to own the architecture of flight and mission software for autonomous aircraft and develop the plan to certify it. The engineer will define how software is partitioned, assured, and verified while keeping the approach lean enough for a small team to move quickly. The role works across GNC, avionics, and autonomy teams on interfaces and integration. Grid.aero builds autonomous aviation systems for defense and commercial applications. The company describes its work as addressing operational problems involving autonomy, resilient logistics, and scalable air mobility, with systems designed for real-world deployment. The role is onsite four days per week in San Leandro, California. Candidates must be U.S. persons—U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents—due to U.S. export control laws. Grid.aero is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive environment. Compensation is $150,000–$200,000 plus 0.1%–0.5% equity.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience developing or architecting embedded or safety-critical software.
Experience with real-time systems, RTOS, or software partitioning.
Experience with DO-178C or similar software assurance standards.
First-principles thinking and the ability to find a simple path to a goal.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident) due to U.S. export control laws.

Nice To Haves

Experience taking software through certification or airworthiness approval.
Familiarity with formal methods or static analysis tools.
Cybersecurity experience for embedded systems, RMF, or secure DevSecOps pipelines.

Responsibilities

Define the software architecture for flight-critical and mission software.
Define partitioning and interfaces between flight-critical and non-critical software.
Define software interfaces between software and hardware elements, from the aircraft system level down to the component level.
Write and own the software development plan and certification approach.
Set software assurance levels and the verification and validation strategy with the safety lead.
Evaluate tools and methods, including formal methods, that reduce verification effort.
Work with GNC, avionics, and autonomy teams on interfaces and integration.