Back to jobs
tags.new

Senior Embedded Platform Engineer

Irvine, CA

Aerospace is at a turning point — costs are rising, supply chains are strained, and old ways of building can’t keep up. At Neon Aero, we’re breaking that mold. We move fast, think big, and combine start-up agility with aerospace expertise to design, build, and scale aircraft in ways the industry has never seen. Our team leverages automation, AI-driven tools, and a fully connected digital backbone to accelerate innovation and reduce barriers to production.

Here, you won’t just take a job — you’ll help reinvent how the world flies. If you’re ready to solve complex problems, push technology further, and work alongside some of the brightest minds in aerospace, this is your chance to make a real impact.

We’re seeking a Senior Platform/Real-Time Embedded Firmware Engineer with strong low-level embedded software expertise and a passion for building robust, deterministic firmware for safety-critical control systems. This role focuses on the real-time firmware foundation that enables actuators, motor drives, BMS, sensors, and vehicle-level systems to operate reliably.

You will architect, implement, and maintain firmware across real-time microcontroller platforms, owning BSPs, drivers, RTOS/bare-metal execution, timing, peripheral interfaces, diagnostics hooks, and hardware bring-up. This role works closely with embedded systems, motor control, BMS, and vehicle control software engineers to ensure the platform layer is reliable, reusable, and deterministic.

Key Responsibilities

Real-Time Firmware Architecture

  • Design and maintain real-time firmware architecture for safety-critical embedded control platforms.
  • Own timing-sensitive firmware layers, interrupt structure, task scheduling, execution order, and deterministic data flow between hardware, drivers, middleware, and application software.
  • Develop firmware frameworks that support reusable control execution, communication, diagnostics, monitoring, and system integration across multiple projects.

MCU, BSP & Driver Development

  • Develop and maintain embedded software in C/C++ on real-time microcontroller platforms such as TI C2000, NXP, or comparable safety-oriented MCUs.
  • Own board support packages, peripheral initialization, device configuration, and low-level hardware abstraction layers.
  • Develop and debug drivers for peripherals and interfaces such as CAN, SPI, Ethernet, ADC, PWM, GPIO, timers, watchdogs, and other MCU peripherals.

Hardware Interfaces & Bring-Up

  • Support hardware bring-up, board validation, and low-level debugging across software and hardware boundaries.
  • Diagnose issues involving MCU configuration, clocks, interrupts, peripherals, sensors, motor drive interfaces, BMS interfaces, and communication links.
  • Work closely with electrical, controls, and systems teams to ensure the embedded firmware correctly supports actuator control, power electronics, sensors, and vehicle-level hardware.

Communication & Diagnostics Infrastructure

  • Implement robust embedded communication infrastructure for protocols such as CAN, CAN derivatives, SPI, Ethernet, ARINC 825, and other aerospace or automotive buses.
  • Support reliable data exchange, message timing, arbitration, diagnostics, fault detection, and recovery behavior at the firmware/platform level.

Integration, Test & Tooling

  • Support integration with motor control, BMS, sensors, and vehicle control software.
  • Develop test hooks, debug interfaces, logging mechanisms, automation support, and data collection tools for lab validation, HIL testing, and system debugging.
  • Support SIL/HIL environments where firmware interfaces, drivers, and platform behavior need to be validated.

Safety, Process & Lifecycle Support

  • Support safety-critical embedded software development by following disciplined software development processes.
  • Contribute to requirements, traceability, verification planning, configuration control, and certification readiness activities aligned with standards such as DO-178C, ARP4754/4761, ISO 26262 concepts, or equivalent safety frameworks.

Required Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience developing embedded firmware for complex real-time systems
  • Strong proficiency in embedded C/C++ and real-time firmware architecture
  • Experience with real-time microcontroller platforms such as TI C2000, NXP, or comparable safety-oriented MCUs
  • Strong understanding of MCU peripherals, interrupts, timers, watchdogs, memory, clocks, ADC, PWM, GPIO, and communication interfaces
  • Hands-on experience with communication protocols such as CAN, CAN derivatives, SPI, Ethernet, or ARINC 825
  • Proven ability to integrate and debug software across hardware, firmware, and system boundaries
  • Experience supporting hardware bring-up, lab validation, and HIL testing
  • Strong analytical skills and low-level debugging ability

Preferred / Bonus Experience

  • Experience with TI C2000, NXP, or similar real-time control microcontrollers
  • Prior work on safety-critical or regulated systems: aerospace, automotive, industrial
  • Exposure to certification-oriented development processes: DO-178C, ARP4754/4761, ISO 26262 concepts
  • Experience developing reusable BSPs, drivers, middleware, and embedded software frameworks
  • Background supporting motor drives, BMS, power electronics, sensors, or vehicle control systems
  • Experience supporting production launch, field issues, and long-term platform maintainability

Why This Role Matters

This role provides the real-time firmware foundation that every higher-level control function depends on. Your work ensures that MCUs, peripherals, drivers, communication links, timing, diagnostics, and hardware interfaces behave predictably under all conditions.

This is the expected compensation range for this role. Final compensation will be based on role scope, experience, skills, internal equity and location. This role may also be eligible for bonus/equity/benefits, if applicable.

$150,000 - $250,000 USD

Neon Aero, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.

We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

All final candidates must successfully complete a background check and drug screening as a condition of employment.

At this time, Neon Aero and its divisions are not accepting unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies.

 

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Please understand the company conducts technology access export compliance screening in a process separate from work authorization verification.  The company may choose to pursue applications for export-controlled technology access authorizations on a limited basis, but due to rigorous government contract deadlines and other similar company obligations, the company has a general policy to not pursue such applications.

Select...

Please understand the company conducts technology access export compliance screening in a process separate from work authorization verification.  The company may choose to pursue applications for export-controlled technology access authorizations on a limited basis, but due to rigorous government contract deadlines and other similar company obligations, the company has a general policy to not pursue such applications.

Select...

Please understand the company conducts technology access export compliance screening in a process separate from work authorization verification.  The company may choose to pursue applications for export-controlled technology access authorizations on a limited basis, but due to rigorous government contract deadlines and other similar company obligations, the company has a general policy to not pursue such applications.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Neon Aerospace’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.