FLIGHT SOFTWARE ENGINEER DESCRIPTION
Long Wall is growing its flight software team and hiring Flight Software Engineers at all experience levels, from early-career engineers to senior and principal-level technical leaders. This is an evergreen posting: we review applications on an ongoing basis and will match you to the level that fits your experience.
Flight Software Engineers at Long Wall design, develop, test, and integrate reliable, scalable, and testable software for our launch vehicles and missile defense systems. You will work on flight software from initial concept through flight-ready systems - architecture, design, development, testing, and vehicle integration - alongside GNC, avionics, and test engineers to deliver software that performs when it matters most. Scope grows with level: early-career engineers own well-defined features and components with guidance from senior teammates; mid-level engineers own subsystems end to end; senior and staff engineers set architecture and day-to-day technical direction for the team, lead by example through hands-on work, and raise the bar for the engineers around them.
At every level, we are looking for engineers who treat reliability as a discipline: people who champion safety, testability, and rigorous engineering practices, take ownership of their work, and make their teammates better.
RESPONSIBILITIES:- Design and develop highly reliable autonomous flight software for Long Wall's launch vehicles and missile defense systems
- Own flight software development from conception to flight-ready systems through design, development, testing, and integration, with scope of ownership scaling with level
- Collaborate with the flight software team on investigations, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and designing solutions from the engineering phase through system-level testing and production
- Collaborate with the avionics hardware team on electrical and data interface design, and software/hardware integration
- Contribute to the development of feature, regression, software-in-the-loop (SIL), and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, including test design and approaches
- Partner with GNC, avionics, and hardware engineers to integrate flight software with vehicle systems and support ground and flight test campaigns
- Support test and launch operations, including anomaly investigation, resolution, and corrective action
- Define, implement, and test Interface Control Documents (ICD) between vehicle and ground systems
- At senior and staff levels: define and defend flight software architecture, set technical direction for the team, and mentor other engineers
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
- 2+ years of experience in the development of real-time or embedded software; level will be determined by the depth and breadth of relevant experience (senior and principal levels typically require 5+ and 8+ years, respectively)
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:- Proficiency with C++ and Python in a Linux development environment
- Experience developing software for physical systems that employ sensors, real-time planning and control, commanding of actuators or motors, wired communications, or RF transceivers
- Experience with software testing practices for high-reliability systems, including unit, integration, and regression testing
- Strong software design fundamentals; for senior and staff levels, demonstrated ability to make and defend architectural decisions across a team
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across engineering disciplines
- Familiarity with source control systems like Git and team-based software development practices
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:- Experience designing fault-tolerant or fail-safe software architectures
- Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and/or embedded Linux platforms
- Experience defining and/or using board support packages (BSP) and application software running on a complex, distributed and/or asymmetric/heterogenous multi-processing environment
- Experience building or working with software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL/HITL) test environments
- Experience developing flight software for launch vehicles, spacecraft, missiles, or other aerospace systems
- Experience leading or mentoring a team of software engineers
- Familiarity with safety-critical software standards and practices (e.g., DO-178C, NASA software classifications, or similar)
- Familiarity with common digital communication protocols like Ethernet, TCP/IP, RS-422, PCIe and more
- Experience integrating complex mechatronic control systems comprising of multiple actuators, including test equipment
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:- Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time
- Ability to use a computer to complete assignments
- Ability to communicate with individuals and groups in person, by phone, and via telepresence
- Ability to pick up to 50lbs
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee will typically work in an office environment
- Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
$115,000 - $250,000 a year
The compensation range for this role is $115,000 - $250,000
This is the lowest-to-highest compensation range we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.
In addition to base pay and equity, we offer:
- Heavily employer-subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
- Long Wall paid life insurance and LTD coverage
- 4% 401k match
- Student loan repayment assistance program
- Paid parental leave
- Family planning assistance program
- Long Wall paid financial wellness program
- Paid time off for non-exempt employees and flexible vacation policy for exempt employees
ITAR RequirementThis position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status) is a required qualification for this position.
