Software Engineer - Vehicle Software & Firmware

Urban Sky•Denver, CO

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Urban Sky is seeking a Software Engineer to join our Engineering team in Denver, CO. In this role, you will own vehicle software and high-level firmware for a family of high-altitude stratospheric ballon systems with active altitude control. You will design and implement embedded and application-layer systems that interface with power, sensing, actuation, navigation, and communications hardware to enable safe, reliable, and repeatable stratospheric operations. This role requires strong embedded/real-time engineering fundamentals and an ability to ship robust software in a fast-paced aerospace startup environment. You'll work hands-on with solar power generation, charge control, batteries and BMS, power distribution, valves and motor controllers, GPS/IMU-based navigation sensors, onboard communication networks (CAN, UART/RS-485, Zigbee, Ethernet), and satellite communications (Globalstar, Iridium, Starlink, etc.).

Requirements

5+ years of experience as a software engineer with embedded and/or real-time systems
Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Python (or similar), including building, testing, and debugging production systems
Excellent teamwork and communication skills; comfortable working across hardware and software disciplines
Strong computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, concurrency) and engineering judgment
Experience owning systems end-to-end: requirements, design, implementation, verification, and operational support
Ability to work quickly and effectively in a fast-paced startup environment
Experience with embedded Linux and/or RTOS environments, cross-compilation, and resource-constrained design
Strong understanding of real-time communication and hardware interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-485, Ethernet)
Experience integrating sensors and actuators with robust fault handling and safety considerations
Comfortable with low-level debugging (logs, oscilloscopes/logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD, hardware bring-up workflows)
Knowledge of telemetry/command systems, binary protocols, and structured data serialization (e.g., protobufs) where appropriate
Experience designing reliable state machines and control-oriented software with clear invariants and testability
Experience with power systems integration (battery packs, BMS, charge controllers/MPPT, DC-DC converters, power distribution)
Experience integrating navigation/tracking sensors and avionics (GNSS/GPS, IMU, magnetometer, barometric/pressure sensors, transponders)
Experience with wired/wireless device networking (CAN bus, Zigbee/802.15.4, LoRa, Ethernet) and message routing patterns
Familiarity integrating satellite communication hardware (Globalstar, Iridium, Starlink, etc.) and designing resilient link protocols
Comfort with structured logging/telemetry, time synchronization, and post-flight data analysis workflows
Experience building automated tests for embedded systems (unit tests, integration tests, HIL) and using simulators/replay for debugging
Strong version control and review practices (Git, code reviews, design reviews) with a bias toward maintainable architectures
Experience with build and deployment tooling (CMake/Bazel, containerized dev environments, CI systems such as GitHub Actions)
Understanding of observability for embedded/fielded systems: logs, metrics, event traces, and alerting for operations
Experience producing clear documentation for interfaces, procedures, and flight readiness reviews
Must be US Citizen or Permanent Resident
Must be located near Denver, CO

Nice To Haves

Experience with aerospace flight software, autonomy, or safety-critical systems (FMEA/FTA, redundancy, verification)
Experience with satellite communication systems and constrained-link protocol design
Experience with GN&C concepts, sensor fusion, and control systems implementation
Experience with power electronics, battery safety, and energy management for long-duration platforms
Experience with CAN tooling, embedded networking stacks, and field diagnostics
Experience with environmental testing and operations in extreme conditions (thermal, vacuum/low pressure, vibration)

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain onboard software and high-level firmware for stratospheric ballon systems with altitude control
Integrate and manage vehicle power systems: solar arrays, MPPT/charge controllers, battery packs, BMS interfaces, and power distribution hardware
Build command and control for actuators and mechanisms (valves, pumps/compressors, motor controllers, heaters, deployment mechanisms, payload interfaces)
Integrate navigation and situational awareness sensors (GNSS/GPS, IMU, magnetometer, barometric/pressure sensors, temperature sensors, transponders)
Develop robust telemetry, logging, and command protocols with clear fault handling, watchdogs, and safe-mode behaviors
Design software interfaces for common embedded buses and protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-485/Modbus, Ethernet) and manage timing/latency constraints
Integrate and validate radios and internal networks (Zigbee/802.15.4, LoRa, LTE where applicable) and ensure deterministic behavior for critical loops
Integrate satellite modems and external communications links (Globalstar, Iridium, Starlink, etc.) including message framing, prioritization, and retries
Implement configuration, provisioning, and secure update mechanisms for fielded vehicles (versioning, compatibility, rollback strategies)
Build test infrastructure: hardware-in-the-loop rigs, flight software simulation hooks, and automated regression tests for vehicle subsystems
Create tools for ground-side, bring-up, and debugging (command-line utilities, log parsers, telemetry dashboards as needed)
Partner with electrical, mechanical, and flight operations teams to define interfaces, validate requirements, and close issues quickly
Drive reliability improvements through root-cause analysis, instrumentation, and structured verification plans