{"id":673238,"url":"https://alion.io/job/observable-staff-embedded-software-engineer","title":"Staff Embedded Software Engineer","company":{"id":678446,"name":"Observable Space","domain":"observable.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/observable-3","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":78,"open_postings":9,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.667,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":67,"computed_at":"2026-11-01T06:10:25Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Los Angeles, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":180000,"max":230000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":230000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"RTOS","optional":true},{"name":"Sensor Fusion","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-03-10T01:58:02Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-03-10","last_verified_at":"2026-11-01T19:35:53Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":236,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":236},"description":"About Observable Space\nAt Observable Space, we're redefining how humanity observes and connects with the universe. We're a vertically integrated, high-growth, space technology company building industry-leading precision optics platforms for Earth and in space. Our systems are trusted by thousands of customers, including NASA, JPL, SpaceX, Boeing, RTX, the US Space Force and the U.S. Department of War, leading research institutions and international partners.\nWe combine precision opto-mechanical hardware, embedded compute, cloud orchestration, and developer-friendly APIs into world class products at scale with in-house manufacturing. From advanced ground stations, on-orbit sensor suites, free space optical lasercom, to distributed compute platforms, we deliver the foundational systems enabling continuous, real-time navigation, observation, and communication in space.\nObservable Space is backed by top-tier institutional investors including Lux Capital, Upfront Ventures, RTX Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners and Embedded Ventures. To learn more, visit observable.space.\nAbout the Role\nAs a Staff Embedded Software Engineer, you will work across our full product line, from robotic ground telescopes to on-orbit compute platforms. You will design and maintain embedded Linux systems, bring up complex peripherals, build rock-solid drivers, and architect software that will run for decades in remote and harsh environments.\nThis role is deeply hands-on: you will read schematics, work shoulder-to-shoulder with electrical and mechanical teams, debug unusual edge cases, and own Yocto-based platforms down to the metal. You will report to the Embedded Engineering Lead.\nWhat You'll Do\nArchitect, implement, and document embedded Linux systems composed of multiple daemons, services, and hardware interfaces designed for extreme reliability in remote and space environments.\n\nOwn the BSP and driver stack across PCIe, SPI, I2C, UART, MIPI CSI-2, GPIO, and other hardware interfaces.\n\nBring up high-speed peripherals (PCIe endpoints, MIPI cameras, high-bandwidth data links) and ensure their long-term robustness.\n\nMaintain build system health: keep Yocto builds unblocked, reproducible, and hardened through strict CI/CD testing gates.\n\nDesign for resilience: create systems that can run autonomously for years with minimal human intervention.\n\nCollaborate on automated testing: help the test team build lab infrastructure that enables frictionless writing and execution of hardware-in-the-loop tests.\n\nParticipate in product design reviews to ensure manufacturability, serviceability, and field reliability.\n\nWhat You'll Bring\n5+ years in embedded software engineering or systems-level development.\n\nStrong proficiency in C and modern C++-and good judgment about when not to overuse templates.\n\nSolid understanding of DC power systems, motor drivers, and common hardware interfaces (I2C, SPI, CAN, Ethernet, MIPI, PCIe).\n\nExperience bringing up high-speed interfaces, especially PCIe and MIPI CSI-2 (D-PHY 1.4+).\n\nDeep familiarity with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, multimeters, and power debugging tools.\n\nAbility to read and interpret schematics, understand board-level considerations, and debug at the electrical-software boundary.\n\nStrong debugging intuition-and the humility to know that debugging is 90% of the job.\n\nExperience in fast-paced prototyping environments and a bias toward quick iteration.\n\nStrong product sense: you prioritize manufacturing reliability, robustness, and long-term serviceability.\n\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience with Zephyr RTOS, embedded networking stacks, or sensor fusion.\n\nExperience with Qualcomm SoCs and their BSP/driver ecosystems.\n\nExperience with 3 phase motor drivers and tuning parameters park/clark vector control.\n\nBackground in vision processing, image pipelines, or camera-focused algorithms.\n\nContributions to open-source embedded or Linux kernel projects.\n\nPassion for astronomy, physics, and scientific exploration.\n\nWhat We Offer\nCompetitive Compensation - A salary package aligned with industry standards and your experience.\nEquity Opportunities - Take part in our success with stock options.\nFlexible Work Environment - Enjoy working from our office or in a hybrid work setup with the flexibility to work remotely part of the week. We require a minimum of 3 days per week in our office to support collaboration and team culture. (LA Office only)\nUnlimited PTO (exempt only) - Take the time you need with our flexible, trust-based vacation policy, including paid holidays. We encourage everyone to rest, recharge, and take care of themselves.\nHealth & Wellness - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with 100% of the premium paid by the employer for employees.\nCutting-Edge Tools - Get access to the latest hardware and software you need to do your best work.\nMission-Driven Culture - Be part of a team working on meaningful challenges with real-world impact.\nInclusive Team - We foster a supportive and diverse workplace where all voices are valued.\nObservable Space is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5461,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Flexible schedule","Hybrid work","Stock options","Unlimited PTO"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-10T22:35:21Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":15,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.544,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":236,"expected_fill_days":67,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-11-01T06:10:25Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":230000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/observable-staff-embedded-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/observable-staff-embedded-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-01T21:52:57Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":33372,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":678446},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=678446"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fobservable-staff-embedded-software-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fobservable-staff-embedded-software-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fobservable-staff-embedded-software-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/observable-staff-embedded-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fobservable-staff-embedded-software-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":673238}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"observable.space","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":673238},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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