Software Engineer - Embedded/Firmware

Embedded Software Engineer / Firmware Engineer

Huntsville, AL

Who We Are

Aurex is a mission-focused aerospace and defense company building the next frontier of deterrence. From hypersonics and missile defense to hardened networks and orbital systems, we design, test, and deliver the platforms that turn unproven ideas into battlefield-ready capability.

Born in Huntsville and built for speed, Aurex brings together aerospace veterans, combat-tested operators, and forward-leaning technologists to solve problems that matter—fast. We move from whiteboard to warfighter with precision, clarity, and zero tolerance for fluff.

Job Overview

Aurex Defense is seeking a talented and experienced Embedded Software Engineer / Firmware Engineer to join our team. You'll be at the forefront of developing low-level, mission-critical firmware and embedded software for next-generation avionics, spacecraft, aircraft, and robotic systems. This role requires deep technical expertise in microcontroller-based systems, real-time embedded development, and hands-on integration with flight and control hardware.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with electrical engineers, systems engineers, and avionics software teams to define firmware requirements and ensure seamless hardware-software integration

• Design, develop, test, and deploy firmware for microcontrollers (e.g., PIC32, ARM Cortex-M, STM32) and embedded processors

• Implement low-level drivers, board support packages (BSPs), peripherals configuration, and interrupt handling

• Develop real-time control loops, sensor interfacing, actuator control, and communication protocol stacks (e.g., UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, RS-485)

• Perform hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, debugging, and validation directly on target hardware using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and debuggers (JTAG/SWD)

• Optimize firmware for memory footprint, power consumption, execution speed, and deterministic real-time performance

• Implement bootloaders, fault handling, watchdog mechanisms, and basic safety features

• Support integration of embedded firmware with higher-level Linux-based avionics software running on Intel/ARM SBCs (e.g., NVIDIA Jetson Orin)

• Conduct unit testing, code reviews, and contribute to firmware documentation and release processes

• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in prototype and flight hardware

Basic Qualifications

• Only U.S. citizen with the ability to obtain a security clearance will be considered.

• Work in person at our corporate headquarters in Huntsville AL

• Minimum experience

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with 3+ years of relevant embedded/firmware development experience

or

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Embedded Systems, or relevant field with experience applying knowledge to real-world embedded hardware platforms

• 3+ years of hands-on experience developing firmware for microcontrollers in real-time embedded systems

• Expert-level proficiency in C for bare-metal and low-level embedded programming

• Strong experience with microcontroller peripherals, register-level programming, and hardware debugging tools

• Proven experience with hardware-in-the-loop development and testing on physical target hardware

• Deep understanding of embedded development workflows, including cross-compilation, flashing, and in-circuit debugging

• Excellent problem-solving skills and a hands-on approach to firmware troubleshooting on hardware

• Strong communication and collaboration skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PIC32 or similar Microchip microcontroller families

• Familiarity with safety-critical or high-reliability firmware development (e.g., MISRA guidelines)

• Experience with assembly for bare-metal and low-level embedded programming

• Experience in integrating firmware with Linux-based systems (e.g., device drivers, inter-processor communication)

• Knowledge of communication protocols common in avionics (e.g., ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet)

• Experience with version control (Git), continuous integration, and automated testing for embedded systems

What we offer

• The opportunity to work on cutting-edge avionics, spacecraft, and robotics systems with real-wo