Software Engineer, Embedded Linux

Chariot Defense•San Bruno, CA

1d•$130,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

Chariot Defense is seeking an Embedded Linux Engineer to develop and maintain their software platform from the ground up. This role involves taking a custom-built board and ensuring Linux boots and runs reliably, with a focus on maintainability for field updates. The engineer will be responsible for building, deploying, and updating embedded platforms across current and future products. The team has experience from companies like Tesla, Anduril, and Apple, and the products are already in use by the U.S. military. This is a hands-on role with high ownership, operating at the hardware-software boundary.

Requirements

BS in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
3+ years building and shipping embedded Linux on custom hardware.
Proven board bring-up experience, from powered-off to reliably booting.
Hands-on experience with the boot chain: bootloader, kernel configuration, drivers, and device tree.
Fluent in C/C++ and the embedded Linux toolchain (cross-compilation, JTAG, serial debug).
Exposure to embedded communication interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART) at the OS and driver level.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Nix/NixOS.
Experience with OS configuration as code, Yocto, Ansible.
Production Rust experience.
Familiarity with ARM SoCs/SoMs on custom carrier boards.
Background in automotive, aerospace, defense, robotics, or energy.

Responsibilities

Board bring-up: Take freshly fabricated carrier boards from assembly to reliable booting, testing power, memory, and communication interfaces with hardware on the bench.
Bootloader & kernel configuration: Set up the bootloader and configure the Linux kernel to recognize and drive specific hardware.
Device drivers & device tree: Describe custom hardware to Linux and integrate necessary drivers for non-standard peripherals.
Build & deploy with Nix / NixOS: Manage the operating system defined as code, creating reproducible images and safe update/rollback paths for fielded units.
Networking & system services: Configure on-device networking and system services required by higher-level software.
Reliability & maintainability: Ensure the platform remains robust and serviceable throughout its life cycle, under defense product conditions.
Cross-functional integration: Collaborate with firmware and hardware teams at the intersection of low-level hardware and software.