Software Engineer - UAV Systems

About the Company - Ascent AeroSystems is one of the most exciting companies in the unmanned aerial system (UAS) industry. Our unique coaxial platforms provide a reliable and efficient foundation to operate drones at scale in demanding environments. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Robinson Helicopter Company, we’re growing fast and looking for driven, curious, and capable engineers to join our team.

• Do you want to develop mission-critical software for aerial robotics used in real-world operations?
• Are you excited by challenges that span embedded systems, ground control stations, and cloud-connected mobile apps?
• Do you thrive in environments where your work directly impacts system-level autonomy, performance, and safety?
• Are you looking to be part of a focused team advancing the future of UAV systems?

About the Role - We’re seeking a versatile Software Engineer – UAV Systems to contribute across flight software, networking, and application development. This is a full-time position based in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Some domestic and international travel may be required.

Responsibilities

• Customize and extend ground control station software to support new mission capabilities and hardware integrations.
• Develop embedded software and integrate sensor payloads on onboard computers and microcontrollers.
• Design, implement, and troubleshoot communication pathways including telemetry, command/control, and video streaming.
• Build and maintain cross-platform mobile applications that interact with UAV systems in real-time.
• Work with drone communication protocols and networking stacks, including over cellular and VPN-based architectures.
• Participate in integration, field testing, and validation of hardware/software components.
• Contribute to system diagnostics, logging, documentation, and production test tooling.

Qualifications

• Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field.
• Minimum of 3 years of post-graduate experience in a software engineering role.

Required Skills

• Strong proficiency in C and Python.
• Experience with embedded systems, hardware integration, and system-level debugging.
• Comfortable working in Linux-based development environments.
• Familiarity with drone communication protocols and telemetry/control frameworks.
• Understanding of IP networking, VPNs, NAT traversal, and cellular connectivity.
• Basic experience with real-time video streaming technologies.
• Experience building and maintaining mobile applications across platforms.
• Demonstrated experience working on or maintaining mission-critical software.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with ground control station customization or development.
• Familiarity with open-source drone platforms and robotics frameworks (Mavlink, ROS, Ardupilot, PX4, QGroiundcontrol, etc.).
• FAA Part 107 certification.

Pay range: 120-140k

Equal Opportunity Statement - Ascent AeroSystems is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

HOW TO APPLY - Please submit your resume and a cover letter outlining your experience and qualifications for this role to CAREERS@ASCENTAEROSYSTEMS.COM with the subject line “Software Engineer – UAV Systems”.