Staff Embedded Software Engineer

📋 Description

• • Join Observable Space Inc. as a Staff Embedded Software Engineer and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of space operations. You will be instrumental in architecting, developing, and scaling the sophisticated hardware and software infrastructure that powers our next-generation ground and space telescopes. This is a unique opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology that enables continuous, real-time observation of the cosmos, contributing to a mission that spans from advanced ground stations to on-orbit sensor suites and distributed compute platforms.
• • As a key member of our expanding embedded engineering team, you will dive deep into the intricacies of embedded Linux systems, ensuring their extreme reliability for remote and harsh environments. Your responsibilities will span the entire product lifecycle, from initial bring-up of complex peripherals to the meticulous maintenance of robust drivers and the architectural design of software intended to operate flawlessly for decades.
• • This role is inherently hands-on, requiring you to engage directly with hardware. You will be expected to read and interpret schematics, collaborate closely with our electrical and mechanical engineering teams, and tackle challenging, unusual edge cases. A significant part of your work will involve owning and optimizing our Yocto-based platforms, ensuring they are performant, reproducible, and hardened for mission-critical applications.
• • Key responsibilities include architecting, implementing, and thoroughly documenting embedded Linux systems. These systems will be composed of multiple interconnected daemons, services, and hardware interfaces, all designed with extreme reliability as the paramount objective for operation in remote and space-bound conditions.
• • You will take ownership of the Board Support Package (BSP) and the entire driver stack for a wide array of hardware interfaces, including but not limited to PCIe, SPI, I2C, UART, MIPI CSI-2, and GPIO. This deep involvement ensures optimal performance and stability of the hardware components.
• • A critical aspect of this role involves the bring-up of high-speed peripherals. This includes advanced components like PCIe endpoints, MIPI cameras, and high-bandwidth data links. Your work will ensure these critical components are not only functional but also exhibit long-term robustness and reliability.
• • Maintaining the health and efficiency of our build system is paramount. You will be responsible for keeping Yocto builds unblocked, ensuring their reproducibility, and hardening them through rigorous CI/CD testing gates. This proactive approach guarantees the integrity and stability of our software releases.
• • Designing for resilience is a core tenet of this position. You will architect systems capable of operating autonomously for extended periods, potentially years, with minimal to no human intervention. This requires a deep understanding of fault tolerance and self-healing mechanisms.
• • Collaboration extends to automated testing infrastructure. You will work alongside the test team to build and enhance lab environments that facilitate the frictionless writing and execution of hardware-in-the-loop tests, accelerating the development and validation cycle.
• • You will actively participate in product design reviews, providing crucial insights to ensure the manufacturability, serviceability, and overall field reliability of our products. Your input will directly influence the design from its earliest stages, prioritizing long-term operational success.
• • This role offers the chance to work on truly groundbreaking technology, contributing to systems that will operate both on Earth and in the challenging environment of space. You will be part of a collaborative, engineering-driven culture that fosters curiosity, demands precision, and champions continuous learning. You will gain meaningful ownership over systems that are fundamental to the future of space operations, making a tangible impact on our mission.