Senior Flight Software Engineer

About Electra: 

At Electra, we're pioneering sustainable aviation by developing hybrid-electric Ultra Short Takeoff and Landing aircraft designed to transform regional air mobility, by making air travel more efficient, quieter, and environmentally friendly. Able to operate from soccer field-sized spaces, our Ultra Short unlocks a new era of aviation through what we call Direct Aviation - the next level of connectivity bringing air travel closer to where we live, work, and play. Headquartered in Northern Virginia, with additional locations in Switzerland, we're building a diverse team of global professionals passionate about redefining the future of aviation.

Position Overview

Electra is seeking a Senior Flight Software Engineer who is highly flexible, forward-thinking, and willing to go the extra mile to achieve team goals. Electra.aero offers great employee benefits and competitive wages. The position will be located in Manassas, VA. 

Key Responsibilities And Essential Functions

• Design, develop, and maintain Aerospace Certifiable, flight-critical embedded software for Electra's Ultra Short takeoff and landing aircraft systems, ensuring performance, safety, and reliability.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with avionics, systems, and hardware engineering teams to define software requirements, interfaces, and integration strategies.
• Implement and optimize communication protocols for aircraft subsystems and onboard networks.
• Decompose high level requirements into low level requirements, documentation and source code.
• Write clean, well-documented, and maintainable code that meets internal and external DO-178C/MISRA standards for readable, verifiable, testable, traceable, and safety-critical code.
• Support Unit Level Tests for Low Level Requirements verification and validation.
• Support Integration Level Tests for High Level Requirements verification and validation.
• Support simulation, analysis, and validation efforts through MATLAB scripting, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and software-in-the-loop (SIL) testing.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of development workflows, build systems, and testing frameworks in a Linux-based environment.
• Collaborate in the software development and certification process, including code reviews and technical discussions to ensure compliance, robustness and consistency across flight software modules.
• Stay current with emerging technologies in embedded systems, avionics software, and aerospace standards to help shape Electra's next-generation flight systems.
  
  

Required Education And Experience

Minimum of 5 year of experience in software development with Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or related area.

Required Qualifications

• Pragmatic, entrepreneurial mindset with a can-do attitude
• Focus on clean, easy to read, well documented, safety critical code
• Organized with a strong attention to detail
• Uncompromising when it comes to the safety of our pilots and customers
• Able to decompose high level requirements into low level requirements, documentation and code
• Experience with the DO-178C certification process
• Proven experience with C
• Working knowledge of Linux, compiling, build systems
• Experience with MATLAB scripting
  
  

Desired Qualifications

• Java, Python, and/or Javascript 
• Experience with CAN, Serial, Ethernet communications 
• Troubleshooting embedded systems, scoping, bus sniffing, etc.
• Experience with Software Verification and Validation including Unit Level Testing
• Experience with ARM and STM32 platforms
• Experience with UART, SPI, I2C, SPI
• Experience with UX/GUI design using web frameworks like node.js
• Experience with electronics, embedded systems and/or or avionics integration and testing 
• Firsthand experience with DO-178C Documentation and SOI Audits
  
  

Location & Additional Information:

Location: Headquarters in Manassas, VA. To encourage close collaboration, this position is 4-5 days in the office, with some virtual work allowed.

Travel: Occasional travel (<10%).

Salary: Electra's salary range for this position is: $130,000.00-170,000.00 Our salary ranges reflect the minimum and maximum range for the Company level overall across all locations & projects and do not necessarily reflect the budgeted amount for this position. Individual pay is based on additional factors, including project budgets, job-related skills, experience, relevant education and/or training, role, level, location, and project.

Compensation And Benefits

In addition to offering an exciting work environment and the opportunity to be part of the team making Ultra Short flight a reality, at Electra, we offer an unparalleled total rewards package. Electra offers employees a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, and life insurance, generous PTO and sick leave, company holidays, paid winter break, and a 401(k) plan with immediate vesting. Life at Electra includes a variety of perks, such as free catered lunches, amazing coffee, snacks, drinks, fruit, free parking, and opportunities for much more.

Working Conditions

Work is typically performed in a warehouse/aviation and office environment, which requires proper safety precautions. Work may require some physical effort in handling light materials, boxes, power tools, prototypes, and different materials or equipment. Due to the nature of our business and projects, some fieldwork may be required, working in both indoor and outdoor conditions. You may need to lift up to 50 lbs.

Background & Drug Screening

Successful completion of a background check and/or drug screening prior to starting work may be required for this position.

Commitment

We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those from marginalized or underrepresented groups in the tech industry and aerospace, to apply for our job openings. We firmly believe that a diverse range of perspectives can profoundly influence both our product and our company culture.

Electra is committed to a work environment that is inclusive to all and free of discrimination. It is our policy to be an equal opportunity employer without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, veteran status, citizenship status, or any other factors prohibited by law. Electra will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals.

Electra is an E-Verify employer.