Senior Firmware Engineer, Autonomous Systems
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 19, 2026. First seen by Alion on Jul 28, 2026. Sphere Defense scores B on the Alion truth index.
Who we are
Sphere Defense is a fully funded technology startup with the mission of providing allied countries with sovereign, effective and seamless autonomous countermeasures to neutralize todays’ and tomorrow’s aerial threats.
Sphere Defense was founded by industry veterans with previous successful exits, and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the heart of Europe.
About you
You are an experienced and highly-motivated Senior Firmware Engineer that has extensive experience with MCUs running bare-metal and RTOSs, and is experienced with building highly reliable embedded, mission-critical systems. Ideally, you have worked with autonomous systems.
What you’ll do
Be one of the first members of a high-performing team, designing and developing autonomous countermeasures to protect allied countries from aerial threats
Architect, develop and test high-performant and reliable firmware systems that encompass sensing, processing and actuation with low latency
Together with the hardware team, bring-up boards and systems, ensuring that all intended functional and performance requirements are met
Troubleshoot and debug problems, ensuring that issues are addressed as they appear
Establish sophisticated CI/CD pipelines, focusing on QA aspects
Be a team player and a mentor, being available to support the team when needed
Location: Onsite in Brussels, Belgium. Our office is close to Central Station.
Reports to: Chief Technology Officer
Requirements
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics or equivalent
At least 8 years in relevant roles, with increasing levels of ownership
Demonstrated experience in the role, owning complex systems based on MCUs and MPUs running bare-metal and RTOS
Proficiency in C/C++ and Python
Experience with bare-metal and RTOS firmware systems
Deep experience with System Design of complex and reliable autonomous systems
Ability to produce high-quality technical documentation
Experience with Device Drivers development and Board Bringup, including BSP creation
Experience with lab equipment (oscilloscope, multimeter, etc.) for board bring-up and debug
Experience with implementing and maintaining complex. multi-stage, SIL/HIL CI/CD processes
Experience integrating sensors and peripherals such as IMUs, Hall sensors, network devices, etc.
Excellent interpersonal communication skills in written and spoken English; French or Dutch is a plus
You are a self-starter, able to work in a high-ambiguity environment and willing to take up new challenges
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with Linux and Yocto-based embedded systems
Experience with the PX4 Flight Controller or other flight controllers
Proficient in Rust
Experience with ST and NXP chipsets
Experience with server communication (REST, gRPC, etc.)
Experience with Mobile Apps integration (BLE, WiFi)
What we offer
Attractive compensation
Year-end bonus
Stock Options Plan
Mobility Budget
32 days of holidays
Meal vouchers
Private Health insurance
We are building a core team of hard-working people. If you want to join a company with tremendous impact and you are autonomous, creative and driven, we want to hear from you!
Sphere Defense offers attractive compensation, stock options, and a unique opportunity to change the global defense landscape.
This role is only open to candidates with right to work in Belgium. We cannot provide visa sponsorship at this time.