Staff/ Senior Software Engineer – Embedded Systems

About Electra

Air travel is about to become something more: more direct, more accessible, and more connected to the places where people live, work and want to be. Every day in the U.S., people make 35 million trips of 50–500 miles, stuck in traffic or routed through crowded hubs. Chances are, you've been one of them. At Electra, we're changing that with the EL9, a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in just 150 feet. Our Ultra Short technology opens up thousands of new places to fly, beyond conventional runways, congested airports and long drives. We're backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell and Safran. Operators worldwide have signed intent-to-purchase agreements for the first 2,200 aircraft we produce, and we're moving toward first test flights in 2027.

Getting a new kind of aircraft airborne takes more than ambition. It takes our kind of bold: people who think big while working in the real world. Who move ideas into action and collaborate without silos. Who put people first and make room at the table for everyone. Who challenge one another without diminishing one another.

Sound like you? Then look beyond what you thought were your own limits, and help us take flight beyond runways.

About the role

We're hiring a Staff/Senior Software Engineer to support the design and development of embedded software for safety-critical aircraft systems. You will work closely on the technical direction of embedded software across one or more subsystems and support the writing of the production code.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role. You will work closely with systems, hardware, test and certification engineers to take software from requirements through integration and flight test. Experience delivering software under DO-178C is a strong plus.

What you'll do

• Design, implement and debug embedded software in C/C++ for real-time, resource-constrained flight and avionics hardware.

• Knowledge of software architecture for subsystems, including partitioning, interfaces, timing budgets and fault handling.

• Work with systems engineers to derive and refine high-level and low-level software requirements, with traceability to code and tests.

• Support board packages, device drivers and middleware for communication buses such as CAN, ARINC 429, SPI, I2C, UART and Ethernet.

• Integrate software with RTOS or bare-metal environments and validate on target hardware, HIL rigs and in the lab.

• Support design and code reviews; set and enforce coding standards (e.g., MISRA C/C++) and static analysis practices.

• Drive verification strategy: unit, integration and hardware/software integration testing, including structural coverage analysis.

• Partner with certification and quality teams to produce plans, standards and lifecycle data that support airworthiness approval.

• Support lab, ground and flight test campaigns, including root-cause analysis of field issues.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or a related field (Master's a plus).

• 5-8+ years of professional embedded software development, with production code shipped on real hardware.

• Expert-level C; strong working knowledge of C++ in embedded contexts.

• Experience with RTOS (e.g., VxWorks, INTEGRITY, PikeOS, FreeRTOS, SafeRTOS) and/or bare-metal development on microcontrollers or SoCs (e.g., ARM Cortex-M/R/A, PowerPC).

• Hands-on debugging with JTAG, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and bus analyzers.

• Solid grasp of real-time concepts: scheduling, interrupts, concurrency, memory management and deterministic behavior.

• Experience writing software to formal requirements and verifying it with structured testing.

• Clear written communication for design documents and technical reviews.

Bonus Points

• Experience developing and certifying airborne software under DO-178C (or DO-178B), ideally at DAL A, B or C.

• Familiarity with DO-178C lifecycle data: PSAC, SDP, SVP, SCMP, SQAP, SAS and requirements/design standards.

• Experience with structural coverage analysis (statement, decision, MC/DC) and tools such as LDRA, VectorCAST or Rapita.

• Knowledge of related standards: DO-330 (tool qualification), DO-331 (model-based development), DO-254, ARP4754A/B and ARP4761.

• Experience working with FAA, EASA or DER/ODA representatives through SOI audits.

• Requirements and traceability tools such as DOORS, Jama or Polarion.

• Model-based development with MATLAB/Simulink and qualified code generation.

• Background in flight controls, electric propulsion, battery management or other aerospace systems.

• Experience with CI/CD, Git-based workflows and automated test on embedded targets.

Leveling Expectations

Level (Staff or Senior) will be determined based on the candidate's experience, education, demonstrated skills, and degree of independence and autonomy.

Both levels require a strong foundation in engineering principles and the ability to solve complex technical problems. Differentiation between levels is based on degree of ownership, autonomy, and influence.

Staff Engineer (5+ years)

• Experienced with frequent application of technical standards, principles, and theories

• Works under general supervision to solve technical problems of moderate scope and complexity

• Executes defined scope of work with growing independence

• Contributes to system integration, supplier coordination, and technical problem-solving

Senior Engineer (8+ years)

• Demonstrates a complete understanding and wide application of engineering principles, theories, and concepts

• Works under limited direction to solve a wide range of complex technical problems

• Independently determines and develops approaches to solutions

• Owns technical scope such as supplier oversight, integration activities, and compliance efforts

• Drives issue resolution and collaborates effectively with minimal guidance

This range reflects the anticipated hiring range across all eligible locations; actual compensation is determined based on your relevant experience, skills, and geographic location. Total compensation includes performance bonus and comprehensive benefits.

Compensation Range

$110,000—$160,000 USD

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; STD, LTD, and life insurance

• Generous PTO, sick leave, and company holidays

• Paid winter break

• 401(k) with immediate vesting

• Free catered lunches, coffee, snacks, and drinks at our Manassas headquarters

• Free on-site parking

Electra is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This position may be subject to ITAR requirements.