This Firmware Engineer role at Allen Control Systems involves owning the low-level embedded software for autonomous aircraft, making architectural decisions about bare-metal vs RTOS, sensor integration, deployment strategies, and HIL testing infrastructure. The engineer will document and justify design decisions with rigor, working on STM32 platforms and fielded systems.

Responsibilities

Own the architecture and implementation of time- and safety-critical embedded firmware on STM32-based platforms; evaluate existing firmware ecosystems and make well-reasoned decisions about what to carry forward versus redesign from scratch.
Write drivers for sensors and peripherals; select and configure communication protocols including CAN, I2C, UART, and Ethernet appropriate to each use case.
Determine and implement deployment strategies for fielded aircraft, including bootloader design and over-the-air or field update approaches.
Set up and maintain hardware-in-the-loop testing infrastructure; produce thorough design documentation that captures architectural decisions, protocol selections, and tradeoffs clearly enough to stand on their own.

Requirements

4+ years of industry experience in embedded firmware development; fluency in C and C++ is required.
Deep understanding of bare-metal and RTOS embedded architectures; strong working knowledge of embedded communication protocols including CAN, I2C, UART, and Ethernet and the ability to select the right tool for each application.
Solid experience with bootloader design and firmware deployment for fielded systems; experience setting up hardware-in-the-loop testing environments.
High standards for code quality and correctness; demonstrated ability to document and justify architectural decisions clearly and concisely so that design rationale is durable and legible to others.

Nice to have

Background in aerospace, defense, or aviation; prior experience with HIL testing of aircraft or flight control systems specifically.
Hands-on experience with STM32 microcontrollers and associated toolchains.
Experience with safety-critical or DO-178C certified software development practices.
Exposure to autonomous systems, robotics, or UAS platforms at the firmware level.

Benefits

Competitive salary
ACS Equity Package
Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
Paid Time Off