Flight Research Senior Software Engineer (Networking/Telemetry)

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• Lead development of end-to-end data link software responsible for telemetry downlink and command uplink between autonomous aircraft and ground control stations.
• Design and implement logic to select among multiple redundant airborne data links, optimizing for link quality, latency, and bandwidth to ensure robust telemetry delivery.
• Design and implement software for VoIP processing for low latency voice communications and radio relay between aircraft and ground control stations.
• Develop airborne software modules for serializing, compressing, encrypting, and prioritizing telemetry and command packets to meet performance and security requirements.
• Build fault-tolerant systems on the ground to receive, validate, and route telemetry data from aircraft to the appropriate ground control station in real time.
• Manage seamless handoff of command and control of aircraft between ground control stations.
• Ensure reliability and integrity of uplinked commands, including retry logic, acknowledgments, and duplicate detection across unreliable or lossy connections.
• Collaborate with networking and hardware teams to define and integrate software for radios, routers, and networked communication equipment.
• Implement observability tools and diagnostics for monitoring link health, packet loss, latency, and failure modes across the entire communication chain.
• Own the testing strategy for end-to-end communications, including software simulation, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, and real-world flight test integration.
• Contribute to long-term architecture and planning, ensuring scalability, maintainability, and compliance with aviation communication standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a closely related discipline, or equivalent professional experience in relevant industries.
• 5+ years of experience building networked or distributed systems, ideally with real-time or embedded constraints.
• Fluency in C++, Python, and Git.
• Familiarity with encryption, network security protocols, and key management for safety-critical networks.
• Familiarity with serialization formats and low-level packet handling (layers 2-4 of the OSI network model).
• Familiarity with Linux networking internals and system-level debugging tools (e.g., tcpdump, strace, perf).
• Must meet US export control compliance requirements as a 'US Person'.

Nice to Have

• Aerospace related work experience.
• Experience developing or configuring router software (e.g., OpenWRT, RouterOS, or custom embedded routing stacks).
• Understanding of radio or datalink systems (e.g., LTE, satcom, line-of-sight).
• Experience with Qt, React, or other modern UI frameworks for desktop or web-based GCS interfaces.
• Experience with Rust.
• Familiarity with the Bazel Build system.

Qualifications

• Educational background in engineering, computer science, or related fields, or equivalent professional experience.

Benefits & Perks

• Competitive compensation including base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).
• Target base pay range of $139,200 - $185,600 per year, determined by experience and skills.
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, healthcare benefits, 401(k) plan with company match, employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance.