Staff Software Engineer

Job DetailsJob Location: Flightwave - Torrance, CA 90503Salary Range: $176,000.00 - $198,000.00 SalaryPosition Summary

We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to serve as a technical architect across our robotics and autonomous systems stack. This is a senior individual contributor role focused on designing scalable, high-performance software architectures that span embedded firmware, real-time systems, edge compute, and hardware integration.

While familiarity with controls and embedded systems is important, this role is not purely controls-focused. Instead, you will define system-level software architecture for complex electromechanical platforms—including VTOL aircraft, gimbals, and robotic subsystems—ensuring modularity, determinism, performance, and long-term maintainability across the stack.

You will partner closely with controls engineers, hardware engineers, and systems teams to translate dynamic system requirements into robust software abstractions. You will guide architectural decisions across firmware, middleware, and edge compute layers, and help elevate engineering standards for modern C++ and production-grade robotics software.

This role emphasizes architectural clarity, cross-disciplinary leadership, and software excellence in robotics environments.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Robotics Software Architecture

Define and evolve the software architecture for complex robotics systems spanning firmware, middleware, and edge compute.
Design modular, scalable abstractions for sensors, actuators, state estimation, and control subsystems.
Establish patterns for deterministic real-time behavior across distributed components.

Embedded & Real-Time Systems Leadership

Guide architecture for embedded firmware interacting with motors, sensors, and hardware peripherals.
Collaborate with controls engineers to translate system dynamics into clean, testable software layers.
Ensure predictable performance under tight latency and reliability constraints.

Cross-Functional Systems Integration

Partner with mechanical, electrical, avionics, and systems engineers to define software–hardware contracts.
Lead technical direction during bring-up, integration, and performance iteration cycles.
Help structure telemetry pipelines and debugging workflows across embedded and flight systems.

Engineering Standards & Best Practices

Establish modern C++ standards for robotics codebases.
Define testing strategies appropriate for real-time and hardware-adjacent systems.
Improve CI/CD workflows for firmware and robotics software.

Verification & Validation Infrastructure

Drive architecture for SIL and HIL environments.
Define strategies for system-level testing, observability, and performance analysis.
Ensure long-term maintainability and evolvability of control-adjacent software.

Technical Ownership

Serve as a senior technical authority across robotics software initiatives.
Balance performance, safety, and maintainability in production systems.
Mentor engineers and raise the architectural bar across the organization.
Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

 Robotics Systems Experience

7+ years building software for robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace, or embedded platforms.
Experience shipping production robotics or embedded systems products.

Software Architecture Expertise

Proven ability to design and evolve software architectures across embedded and distributed systems.
Experience defining clean hardware–software interfaces.
Strong understanding of real-time constraints and deterministic system design.

Modern C++ Proficiency

Deep knowledge of modern C++ (14/17/20).
Experience with memory management, concurrency models, and performance-critical systems.
Ability to establish coding standards and architectural patterns for embedded codebases.

Embedded Systems Exposure

Hands-on experience with microcontrollers (ARM Cortex-M, STM32, etc.).
Familiarity with RTOS environments (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, or similar).
Working knowledge of low-level drivers and hardware interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN).

Systems & Robotics Foundations

Solid understanding of kinematics, coordinate frames, and sensor integration.
Exposure to control systems, sensor fusion, or motion control concepts (not necessarily as a primary controls engineer).
Familiarity with telemetry, diagnostics, and system performance metrics.

Additional Desired Qualifications

Experience with PX4, MAVLink, or similar robotics middleware.
Simulation experience (URDF, Gazebo, Isaac, etc.).
Experience building SIL/HIL infrastructure.
Experience with Linux-based edge compute systems (Jetson, embedded Linux).
Familiarity with safety-critical or aerospace development environments.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

Must be able to walk, stand, and navigate large indoor and outdoor facilities for extended periods of time.
Ability t