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Sr. Embedded Flight Software Engineer

Orchard


Job Location:

Palo Alto, CA - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 143000 - 238000
Posted: 10 November 2026 (6 hours ago)
Application Deadline: 7 February 2027
Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

@Orchard LLC is actively seeking a Senior Embedded Flight Software Engineer to support our client a leading organization in the aerospace and space infrastructure industry specializing in spacecraft development advanced space systems and mission-critical technologies supporting commercial civil and national security programs.

This position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of sophisticated spacecraft flight software supporting complex space missions and next-generation aerospace technologies.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in embedded software development real-time operating systems (RTOS) and C programming with a strong understanding of software architecture development lifecycles and verification methodologies.

Working alongside multidisciplinary engineering teams the successful candidate will be responsible for designing developing integrating and verifying embedded flight software that supports critical spacecraft operations.

The position is based in Palo Alto California or Houston Texas.

Key Responsibilities

  • Design develop and implement embedded software for real-time operating systems (RTOS) used in spacecraft applications.

  • Develop document and maintain software architectures requirements algorithms interfaces and detailed designs for flight software systems.

  • Develop and execute software verification plans unit-level tests open-loop test suites and associated testing procedures.

  • Analyze and document test results to ensure software functionality performance and compliance with system requirements.

  • Manage embedded software throughout the complete software development lifecycle including design implementation integration verification and maintenance.

  • Develop evaluate customize and implement software engineering processes development tools and performance metrics.

  • Serve as a technical subject matter expert in embedded software development software engineering processes and system-specific technical challenges.

  • Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to support spacecraft software integration and system-level requirements.

  • Support software quality reliability and compliance through established engineering practices and development standards.

  • Identify and resolve complex embedded software issues throughout development integration and testing activities.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

  • Bachelors degree in Software Engineering Computer Science or a related technical field. Four additional years of relevant experience may be substituted for a degree.

  • Minimum of 8 years of professional software development experience.

  • Strong embedded C programming skills.

  • Basic understanding of Agile software development methodologies and the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

  • Experience using software version control systems.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience developing embedded software for real-time operating systems (RTOS) such as FreeRTOS or equivalent platforms.

  • Familiarity with NASAs Core Flight Software (cFS) and Core Flight Executive (cFE) frameworks.

  • Experience with Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) communication protocols.

  • Proficiency in Python for software development automation testing or engineering applications.

  • General understanding of spacecraft subsystems including:

    • Electrical power systems

    • Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS)

    • Thermal management

    • Propulsion systems

    • Communication systems

  • Experience using engineering and software development tools such as Jira Jama Git and unit testing frameworks.

Compensation

The successful candidates starting pay will fall within the salary range provided below and is determined based on job-related factors including but not limited to the experience qualifications knowledge skills geographic work location and market conditions. Candidates with the minimum necessary experience qualifications knowledge and skill sets for the position should not expect to receive the upper end of the pay range. The base pay range for this position within California is: $143000.00 - $238000.00 annually. A comprehensive package of benefits is provided including paid time off health and welfare insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees. Additionally this position is incentive-eligible with a target based on contribution company performance and/or individual results achieved; the specific incentive plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions.

About @Orchard LLC

Established in 2010 @Orchard LLC has an exceptional reputation for providing recruiting solutions to time-sensitive talent scarcity issues and delivering better talent management ROI. Our specialty lies in the critical area of program talent acquisition and resource management not in one narrow skillset but across many areas of technical and functional delivery.

To learn more about our other exciting opportunities visit our Jobs Page at .


Required Experience:

Senior IC


About Company

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@Orchard LLC is the best talent acquisition and staffing company. You can find a job or hire staff with us. We provide 360 HR services and Recruitment Process Outsourcing.

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