Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Embedded Software Engineer | Space Tech | Renewables

📍Ashburn, Virginia | Onsite

A venture-backed aerospace company pioneering space-based power infrastructure is looking for an \Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join its growing engineering team in Northern Virginia.

The company is developing wireless power beaming technology designed to deliver continuous energy from orbit, helping solve one of the biggest long-term infrastructure challenges in both space and clean energy. Following a series of successful technical demonstrations, the business is now moving toward its next major milestone: launching its first LEO satellite mission.

This is a rare opportunity to join an early-stage company working on genuinely cutting-edge technology with real-world impact. Engineers here work closely across software and hardware, move quickly, and have the chance to see the systems they build progress toward flight on accelerated timelines rather than traditional multi-year development cycles.

The Opportunity

You’ll play a key role in developing embedded software for autonomous systems operating in demanding environments, working closely with multidisciplinary teams across software, hardware, testing, and mission operations.

The team is looking for engineers who enjoy solving complex real-world problems at the intersection of software and hardware, particularly within safety-critical systems.

Candidates from aerospace, robotics, UAVs, autonomous vehicles, medical devices, defense, or other embedded systems environments are encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Developing embedded software in C/C across RTOS and embedded Linux environments
• Writing and maintaining drivers for sensors, actuators, and peripheral systems
• Supporting communication between flight computers and embedded controllers
• Working across Linux, FreeRTOS, ROS 2, and micro-ROS environments
• Supporting hardware bring-up, integration, and debugging activities
• Participating in hardware/software testing, validation, and troubleshooting
• Contributing to ground support tooling and scripting where needed
• Collaborating closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams in a highly iterative environment

What They’re Looking For

• 3 years of experience in embedded software engineering
• Strong C/C development experience
• Experience working with RTOS and/or embedded Linux systems
• Experience developing low-level software, drivers, or hardware interfaces
• Comfortable debugging hardware/software integration issues
• Strong systems-thinking and problem-solving mindset
• Experience within autonomous, robotics, aerospace, UAV, automotive, or other safety-critical environments

Nice to Have

• ROS 2 or micro-ROS experience
• Python scripting experience
• Experience supporting hardware validation or integration testing
• Spacecraft or satellite software experience
• Familiarity with embedded communications protocols such as CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS422/485, or Ethernet
• Experience working within startup or fast-growth engineering teams

Culture & Environment

This is a startup environment and the team is looking for engineers who are comfortable operating with pace, ownership, and ambiguity.

The culture is highly collaborative and hands-on, with engineers expected to contribute directly to solving technical challenges across both software and hardware domains.

This is not a heavily layered corporate environment. The successful candidate will thrive in an environment where initiative, adaptability, and curiosity are highly valued.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary plus equity
• Relocation support available
• 20 days PTO plus federal holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company matching
• Health & wellness stipend
• Life and disability insurance

Additional Information

• Primarily onsite in Ashburn, VA
• US Citizens or Green Card holders are eligible to apply due to export control regulations

If you’re interested in building cutting-edge autonomous systems within a high-growth aerospace startup environment, apply now or reach out to Ciara Holmes at EVONA for a confidential discussion.