Senior Embedded Software Engineer (Small UAV Flight Controls) at Knightwerx Senior Embedded Software Engineer (Small UAV Flight Controls) at Knightwerx in Phoenix, Arizona Posted in about 23 hours ago.

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full-time Role Overview We are seeking a Senior Embedded Software Engineer for Small UAV Flight Controls to architect, develop, and test deterministic, safety-critical flight control firmware for our small unmanned aerial vehicles (Group 1 and Group 2 tactical aircraft, fixed-wing, or hybrid VTOLs). In this role, you will own the software layer that sits directly between complex guidance algorithms and physical aircraft actuation, ensuring maximum stability, agility, and responsiveness on lightweight, space-constrained hardware. You will bridge the gap between control theory and low-SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) bare-metal or RTOS execution. You will write robust, high-integrity code that operates under strict real-time constraints, optimizing every clock cycle to ensure ultra-low latency from sensor sample to actuator command. Key Responsibilities Flight Software & Driver Development

Control Loop Execution:

Design, optimize, and implement high-rate stabilization loops, attitude control algorithms, and actuator mixing logic in C and C++.

Low-Level Drivers:

Develop and maintain bare-metal peripheral drivers for highly integrated microcontrollers to interface with IMUs, magnetometers, barometers, airspeed sensors, and GPS modules.

RTOS Optimization:

Configure and profile Real-Time Operating Systems (e.g., FreeRTOS, ChibiOS, Zephyr) for highly predictable task scheduling, deterministic execution, and minimal jitter. System Integration & Deterministic Communication

Bus Architecture:

Manage and optimize communication protocols over lightweight, low-pin-count buses including CAN bus (UAVCAN/Cyphal), SPI, I2C, and UART to interface with Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs) and servos.

Fault Tolerance:

Implement robust fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) mechanisms to immediately handle small UAV anomalies, such as sensor dropouts, frame vibrations, or battery voltage drops.

HIL Testing:

Build and utilize Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation setups to safely validate flight software performance and corner-case failure modes on the bench. SWaP Optimization & Architecture

Resource Management:

Target, profile, and optimize memory footprint (SRAM/Flash) and CPU usage on high-performance microcontrollers (e.g., ARM Cortex-M4/M7/H7).

Open-Source Hardening:

(If applicable) Maintain, customize, and secure opensource small UAV ecosystems like PX4, ArduPilot, or Betaflight for custom proprietary hardware configurations. Required Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical discipline.

Firmware Expertise:

Deep professional experience developing production-grade embedded C and C++ software for real-time systems.

Microcontroller Fluency:

Extensive experience with ARM Cortex-M or similar architectures, registers, timers, DMA, and interrupt handling.

Lab Tool Proficiency:

Hands-on experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, multi-meters, and

JTAG/SWD

debuggers to isolate hardware vs. software issues.

State Estimation Basics:

Practical understanding of digital filtering (e.g., notch filters, low-pass filters) used to mitigate high-frequency frame vibrations common in small UAVs. Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience contributing to or deploying customized PX4 Autopilot or ArduPilot stacks onto custom small UAV airframes.
• Background in mathematical modeling, MATLAB/Simulink code generation, or working alongside GNC engineers to port control laws into C.
• Experience implementing lightweight safety protocols or functional safety frameworks scaled down for consumer, commercial, or defense-grade small UAV systems About Knightwerx Knightwerx develops American-made, AI-powered unmanned aerial systems and remote sensing technologies for commercial and government customers.

Our platforms support autonomous operations, human-machine teaming, and mission-critical applications where reliability, performance, and speed matter.