Senior Flight Software Engineer (Embedded C)

Location: Hybrid in San Francisco, CA, with three days per week required in the San Francisco office. The role requires access to export-controlled information without additional export licensing.

Salary: $162,600–$203,200 USD annual base salary for San Francisco.

Company

hirify.global designs, builds, and operates imaging satellites and a cloud-based platform delivering satellite data for commercial, environmental, and humanitarian applications.

What you will do

• Develop, verify, and improve embedded flight software for the Superdove satellite platform.
• Investigate on-orbit anomalies and use Mission Control and telemetry to analyze software behavior at orbital scale.
• Build automated testing to increase confidence in Flight Software quality.
• Identify and implement efficiency and productivity improvements across existing systems.
• Collaborate with Missions Systems, Satellite Operations, Security, Systems Engineering, Ground Station Operations, RF, ADCS, EE, FPGA, and Flight Software teams.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Manufacturing Test to streamline satellite builds and hardware-software integration.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience designing and developing software systems.
• Experience with Ubuntu and/or Debian Linux distributions.
• Experience with embedded C, with or without an RTOS; STM32 experience is preferred within this requirement.
• Experience with C and C++ application code on UNIX/Linux.
• Knowledge of Python 3 and Python 2.
• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a similar field, or equivalent work experience.
• Ability to use oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, voltmeters, and similar lab equipment to investigate software and system behavior.
• Ability to maintain existing systems, analyze system performance using data, and investigate complex system behaviors.
• Ability to access applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing is required for employment or contractor hiring.

Nice to have

• Experience using Linux in embedded kiosk or vehicle platforms.
• Knowledge of 8051 microprocessors.
• Experience with FPGAs or software interfacing with FPGA designs.
• Understanding of PC architecture, including BIOS/EFI, PCIe, USB, SATA, and eMMC.
• Experience maintaining or operating deployed fleets of embedded systems with telemetry and other observability features.

Culture & Benefits

• People-centric culture focused on belonging, collaboration, and humanitarian applications of satellite data.
• Medical, dental, and vision plans, plus an HSA with company contribution.
• Paid time off, holidays, company-wide days off, and 16 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Wellness and employee assistance programs, home office reimbursement, and monthly phone and internet reimbursement.
• Tuition reimbursement, LinkedIn Learning access, equity, commuter benefits for office-based employees, and paid volunteering time off.

Hiring process

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and may close before the stated deadline once a suitable applicant pool is received.
• Selected interviews may use AI transcription and summarization with candidate consent; candidates may opt out.
• AI tools are prohibited during live interviews and assessments unless explicitly permitted, except when requested as an accommodation.