{"id":3786177,"url":"https://alion.io/job/terran-orbital-principal-embedded-software-engineer","title":"Principal Embedded Software Engineer","company":{"id":2287085,"name":"Terran Orbital","domain":"terranorbital.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/terranorbital","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":82,"open_postings":26,"ghost_share":0.308,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":38,"computed_at":"2026-11-05T05:54:30Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Irvine, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":175000,"max":230000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":230000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":12,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"FreeRTOS","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"RTOS","optional":false},{"name":"Bash","optional":true},{"name":"C","optional":true},{"name":"GCC","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-05T00:56:33Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-05","last_verified_at":"2026-11-05T08:43:05Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":0},"description":"Join a team where your impact reaches beyond the stars! At Terran Orbital, you’re not just part of the system - you’re a vital force propelling our mission forward. As trailblazers in satellite manufacturing and aerospace innovation, we shatter boundaries daily to deliver groundbreaking solutions that power our nation’s defense and commercial missions. We are a unique, fast growing, and trusted team dedicated to swiftly and efficiently designing, building, launching, and operating state of the art satellites for advanced mission constellations. If you’re driven by purpose, inspired by challenges, and ready to leave your mark on the universe, you’ll find a home and endless opportunities for growth here. Together, let’s redefine what is possible in orbit and beyond!\nTerran Orbital is seeking an experiencedPrincipal Embedded Software Engineer to join our dynamic team. Reporting to the Embedded Software & FPGA Manager, the Principal Embedded Software Engineer will lead the architecture, development, and integration of embedded software across multiple satellite programs, ensuring robust, reliable, and high-performance mission solutions.\nKey Duties and Responsibilities\nDevelop and maintain embedded software and support hardware bring-up on satellite modules.\nArchitect, design, develop, and maintain embedded software (Linux, RTOS, bare metal) for satellite systems.\nCollaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to define and refine software requirements.\nServe as the technical lead for multiple satellite programs.\nCreate and maintain unit tests using Test-Driven Development methodologies.\nDevelop and automate system-level tests.\nBuild software for specialized payloads, including imagers, image processors, communication devices, and astronomical science instruments.\nIntegrate and test software in simulation, flight-replica, flight-vehicle, and hardware-in-the-loop environments.\nLead and mentor junior software engineers, providing technical guidance and task direction.\nRepresent Terran Orbital in technical working groups and customer interactions.\nSupport the security of embedded systems.\nSupport occasional travel (up to 10%) to customer or vendor sites for design reviews and collaborative technical work. \nRequired Qualifications and Skills\nBachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field; a Master’s degree is preferred.\n12+ years of experience developing C/C++ applications for embedded, high-performance, or mission-critical systems.\nExperience with bare-metal and/or RTOS-based designs (FreeRTOS, internal schedulers, etc.).\nDeep understanding of microcontroller architectures, peripheral subsystems, and low-level interface design across multiple MCU families.\nExperience with electronic test equipment and embedded debug tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, hardware debuggers, etc.).\nExperience with serial communication protocols (CAN, RS-232/422/485, I2C, SPI, PCI).\nHighly motivated, self-starting, responsible, thorough, and able to perform duties autonomously.\nExcellent written and verbal communication skills.\nU.S. Citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance.\nPreferred Qualifications and Skills\nExperience with ARM and Texas Instruments embedded platforms.\nExperience with oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and other test equipment.\nExperience with Linux and GNU tools such as Make, GCC, and GDB.\nExperience with scripting languages such as Bash and Python.\nFamiliarity with build pipelines, deployment processes, and on-target testing.\nFamiliarity with SOLID software design principles.\nYour actual level and base salary will be determined case-by-case and may vary based on the job-related qualification, knowledge, skills, education, and experience. In addition to base salary, we offer 100% covered medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, Flexible Time Off (FTO), covered life insurance, maternity and paternity leave, tuition reimbursement, employee referrals, and lots of swag! \nSalary Range\n$175,000—$230,000 USD\nFull-time positions only:\nBenefits\n100% Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents\n401(k) Match\nFlexible Time Off (FTO)\nEducation Reimbursement\nCompetitive Paid Parental Leave\nAbout Terran Orbital \nTerran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com\nPhysical Demands\nAn employee must meet the physical demands described to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. In performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely required to sit or stand for long durations of time, in addition to bending, reaching, and walking. This would require the ability to lift or move objects up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move objects up to 25 pounds. This position is generally sedentary, with substantial computer usage.\nWork Environment\nThe job operates in a professional office environment but in a manufacturing company. This job routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and scanners.\nDisclaimers\nTo comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. In addition, please note that this position may require a current United States National Security clearance or eligibility for such a clearance.\nTerran Orbital is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or membership in any other group protected by federal, state, or local law.\nIf you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at .\nTerran Orbital does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms. To conduct business with Terran Orbital, a Master Services Agreement (MSA) must be executed and confirmed prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. Without a signed MSA, Terran Orbital shall not be responsible to any individual or entity for any payment relating to any form of fee or compensation.\nAnd, in the event that a resume or candidate is submitted by a recruiter, an employment agency, or a staffing firm without a fully executed MSA, Terran Orbital has the unrestricted right to pursue and hire any of those candidate(s) without any legal or financial responsibility to the recruiter, agency, and/or firm.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7104,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":12,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Flexible time off","Life insurance","Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Satellite Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-05T03:42:55Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":95,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.946,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":38,"reasons":["conf:2","urgency","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-11-05T05:54:30Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":230000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/terran-orbital-principal-embedded-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/terran-orbital-principal-embedded-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-05T13:24:02Z","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":17341,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-06T00:00:00Z"}},"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":2287085},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2287085"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fterran-orbital-principal-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%2Fterran-orbital-principal-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%2Fterran-orbital-principal-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/terran-orbital-principal-embedded-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fterran-orbital-principal-embedded-software-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3786177}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"terranorbital.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3786177},"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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