Lead Flight Software Engineer

Hermeus is an aerospace and defense technology company founded to radically accelerate air travel by delivering hypersonic aircraft. The company aims to develop hypersonic aircraft quickly and cost-effectively by integrating hardware-rich, iterative development with modern computing and autonomy. This approach has been validated through design, build, and test of the company’s first combined turbojet-ramjet engine and is now being scaled through its first flight vehicle program, Quarterhorse. Hermeus is also developing Darkhorse — an uncrewed hypersonic aircraft designed to deliver unique asymmetric capabilities to the warfighter.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Lead Flight Software Engineer to join Hermeus, a hypersonic aircraft startup company. As a Lead Flight Software Engineer, you will work closely with our hardware and systems engineers to design, develop, and implement software for our cutting-edgeaircraft systems. 

Responsibilities:

• Lead the flight software development team, overseeing the design, implementation, and integration of embedded flight software across multiple systems, ensuring all software meets high standards of performance, safety, and regulatory compliance. 
• Develop and maintain embedded flight software for our aircraft systems, including flight control, navigation, communication, and avionics systems. 
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to ensure seamless integration of software and hardware components. 
• Drive the architecture and design decisions for flight software, ensuring the software framework is scalable, maintainable, and integrates effectively with other systems. 
• Own the technical roadmap for flight software development, working with cross-functional teams to prioritize projects, allocate resources, and define long-term goals.Participate in code and design reviews to ensure high-quality software. 
• Own the overall testing strategy for flight software, ensuring comprehensive testing of both software and integrated systems through simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing.Work with systems engineers to develop and execute system-level tests and simulations. 
• Take the lead in developing safety-critical flight software, ensuring it meets rigorous safety standards (e.g., DO-178C) and is thoroughly documented for certification and regulatory approval. 

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Engineering, or a related field. 
• 5+ years of experience in embedded flight software development, with at least 1 year in a leadership or senior technical role. 
• Professional experience programmingin C/C++ and experience with embedded flight software development tools and methodologies. 
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Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS), low-level hardware interfaces (e.g., SPI, I2C, UART, etc.), and software development for microcontrollers. 
• Familiarity with safety-critical software development processes, such as DO-178C or equivalent. 
• Knowledge of avionics systems, flight control systems, and navigation systems. 
• Experience with system-level testing and simulation tools. 
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail. 
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in a team environment. 
• Experience working in a startup environment is a plus. 

U.S. EXPORT CONTROL COMPLIANCE STATUS 

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. US persons include U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Hermeus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions at Hermeus are based solely on merit, competence, and qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.