Lead Software Developer

About the role

We are seeking a Lead Software Developer to head the design, development, integration and delivery of embedded flight software for autonomous UAV systems at the Technology Innovation Institute. This hands‑on technical leadership role combines software architecture, real‑time development, system integration and mentorship of engineering teams.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, integration and validation of embedded flight software for safety‑critical autonomous systems.
• Lead the integration of platform security features and secure software deployment mechanisms.
• Oversee software development, debugging, code reviews and system integration activities.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship and support to engineering teams throughout the product lifecycle.
• Drive platform bring‑up, validation, release activities and configuration control.
• Collaborate with hardware, systems, security, test, manufacturing and DevOps teams.
• Support Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, build automation, release management and ensure compliance with engineering standards.
• Make architecture decisions and represent the software team to stakeholders and customers.

Required profile

• 15+ years of experience in embedded software development.
• 8+ years focused on flight controllers, autopilot or safety‑critical avionics.
• Proven track record leading embedded software teams and delivering products to production.
• Strong technical leadership and mentorship abilities.

Required skills

• Strong proficiency in C/C++ for real‑time embedded systems.
• Python for tooling and test automation.
• Expertise with autopilot stacks such as PX4 and MAVLink/GCS integration (e.g., QGroundControl).
• Experience with RTOS environments (e.g., NuttX), scheduling, POSIX, IPC, memory protection and drivers on ARM Cortex processors.
• Embedded security knowledge: ARM TrustZone, OP‑TEE, trusted firmware, secure boot chains, eFUSE/OTP.
• Peripheral interfaces: CAN‑FD, SPI, I2C, UART.
• Secure coding standards (MISRA C, SEI CERT) and cryptography (TLS, AES, RSA, ECC, PKI/key management).
• Proficient with Git workflows, branching, pull requests and code reviews.
• Understanding of DevOps practices: CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, Jenkins, GitHub Actions), automated build/test and release management for embedded firmware.