What are the responsibilities and job description for the Junior Software Engineer – PX4 Autopilot Systems position at Griffon Aerospace?
Company Overview
Griffon Aerospace is a trusted aerospace solutions provider based in Madison, Alabama, specializing in the design, development, and operation of advanced unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Since 1995, we have delivered over 12,000 unmanned air vehicles to the Department of Defense, allied nations, and commercial customers. We pride ourselves on being a lion-hearted partner, designing, building, and flying the most capable and intelligent aerial systems that give our servicemen an unfair advantage wherever they fly.
Position Summary
We are seeking a Junior Software Engineer with hands-on experience in PX4-based flight control systems to join our growing UAS development team. You will contribute to the design, integration, and validation of custom flight software for advanced unmanned aerial platforms, supporting development, simulation, and flight test operations.
This role is ideal for a recent graduate or early-career engineer who has worked on PX4 firmware, either in school projects, open-source contributions, or internships, and is looking to expand their skills in a real-world aerospace environment.
Primary Responsibilities
What We Offer
Griffon Aerospace is a trusted aerospace solutions provider based in Madison, Alabama, specializing in the design, development, and operation of advanced unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Since 1995, we have delivered over 12,000 unmanned air vehicles to the Department of Defense, allied nations, and commercial customers. We pride ourselves on being a lion-hearted partner, designing, building, and flying the most capable and intelligent aerial systems that give our servicemen an unfair advantage wherever they fly.
Position Summary
We are seeking a Junior Software Engineer with hands-on experience in PX4-based flight control systems to join our growing UAS development team. You will contribute to the design, integration, and validation of custom flight software for advanced unmanned aerial platforms, supporting development, simulation, and flight test operations.
This role is ideal for a recent graduate or early-career engineer who has worked on PX4 firmware, either in school projects, open-source contributions, or internships, and is looking to expand their skills in a real-world aerospace environment.
Primary Responsibilities
- Develop and modify PX4 firmware for custom aircraft configurations.
- Integrate sensors, radios, and onboard compute modules using CAN, UART, and I2C interfaces.
- Support simulation-based testing using Gazebo, HITL, and SITL environments.
- Assist with flight test support, log analysis, and software debugging.
- Contribute to Git-based development pipelines, including merger requests and CI/CD builds.
- Collaborate across disciplines (hardware, systems, flight test) to deliver integrated UAS solutions.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
- Hands-on experience with PX4 Autopilot firmware (custom module, parameter tuning, board bring-up, or sensor drivers).
- Proficiency in C and familiarity with Python for scripting.
- Exposure to Git and modern version control workflows.
- Understanding basic control systems, sensor fusion, or embedded Linux a plus.
- Experience with:
- Custom PX4 modules or board targets.
- MAVLink messaging and QGroundControl.
- Simulation tools (Gazebo, jMAVSim).
- GitLab or GitHub workflows.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Mentorship and training from experienced aerospace professionals.
- Opportunities for career growth and project ownership.
- Collaborative and innovative work environment.
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