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Software Engineer - Vehicle Software & Firmware

Denver, CO

About Urban Sky: 

Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup that pioneers utilization of the stratosphere and reimagines the way humans view and analyze the earth. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems, and the data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis. 

Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment. 

We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members. 

About The Role: 

Urban Sky is seeking a Software Engineer to join our Engineering team in Denver, CO. In this role, you will own vehicle software and high-level firmware for a family of high-altitude stratospheric ballon systems with active altitude control. You will design and implement embedded and application-layer systems that interface with power, sensing, actuation, navigation, and communications hardware to enable safe, reliable, and repeatable stratospheric operations.

This role requires strong embedded/real-time engineering fundamentals and an ability to ship robust software in a fast-paced aerospace startup environment. You'll work hands-on with solar power generation, charge control, batteries and BMS, power distribution, valves and motor controllers, GPS/IMU-based navigation sensors, onboard communication networks (CAN, UART/RS-485, Zigbee, Ethernet), and satellite communications (Globalstar, Iridium, Starlink, etc.).

What You Will Do:  

Vehicle Software & Firmware:

  • Design, implement, and maintain onboard software and high-level firmware for stratospheric ballon systems with altitude control
  • Integrate and manage vehicle power systems: solar arrays, MPPT/charge controllers, battery packs, BMS interfaces, and power distribution hardware
  • Build command and control for actuators and mechanisms (valves, pumps/compressors, motor controllers, heaters, deployment mechanisms, payload interfaces)
  • Integrate navigation and situational awareness sensors (GNSS/GPS, IMU, magnetometer, barometric/pressure sensors, temperature sensors, transponders)
  • Develop robust telemetry, logging, and command protocols with clear fault handling, watchdogs, and safe-mode behaviors

Embedded Systems & Integration (Core Focus)

  • Design software interfaces for common embedded buses and protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-485/Modbus, Ethernet) and manage timing/latency constraints
  • Integrate and validate radios and internal networks (Zigbee/802.15.4, LoRa, LTE where applicable) and ensure deterministic behavior for critical loops
  • Integrate satellite modems and external communications links (Globalstar, Iridium, Starlink, etc.) including message framing, prioritization, and retries
  • Implement configuration, provisioning, and secure update mechanisms for fielded vehicles (versioning, compatibility, rollback strategies)
  • Build test infrastructure: hardware-in-the-loop rigs, flight software simulation hooks, and automated regression tests for vehicle subsystems
  • Create tools for ground-side, bring-up, and debugging (command-line utilities, log parsers, telemetry dashboards as needed)
  • Partner with electrical, mechanical, and flight operations teams to define interfaces, validate requirements, and close issues quickly
  • Drive reliability improvements through root-cause analysis, instrumentation, and structured verification plans

Types of Projects You Will Work On: 

  • Vehicle Power & Energy Management
  • Command, Control & Altitude Management
  • Navigation, Avionics & Tracking
  • Communications & Vehicle Networks
  • Test, Simulation & Flight Operations Tooling

Required Skills and Experience: 

Core Experience:

  • 5+ years of experience as a software engineer with embedded and/or real-time systems
  • Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Python (or similar), including building, testing, and debugging production systems
  • Excellent teamwork and communication skills; comfortable working across hardware and software disciplines
  • Strong computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, concurrency) and engineering judgment
  • Experience owning systems end-to-end: requirements, design, implementation, verification, and operational support
  • Ability to work quickly and effectively in a fast-paced startup environment

Embedded Systems & Flight Software: 

  • Experience with embedded Linux and/or RTOS environments, cross-compilation, and resource-constrained design
  • Strong understanding of real-time communication and hardware interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-485, Ethernet)
  • Experience integrating sensors and actuators with robust fault handling and safety considerations
  • Comfortable with low-level debugging (logs, oscilloscopes/logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD, hardware bring-up workflows)
  • Knowledge of telemetry/command systems, binary protocols, and structured data serialization (e.g., protobufs) where appropriate
  • Experience designing reliable state machines and control-oriented software with clear invariants and testability

Power, Avionics, & Communication Integration: 

  • Experience with power systems integration (battery packs, BMS, charge controllers/MPPT, DC-DC converters, power distribution)
  • Experience integrating navigation/tracking sensors and avionics (GNSS/GPS, IMU, magnetometer, barometric/pressure sensors, transponders)
  • Experience with wired/wireless device networking (CAN bus, Zigbee/802.15.4, LoRa, Ethernet) and message routing patterns
  • Familiarity integrating satellite communication hardware (Globalstar, Iridium, Starlink, etc.) and designing resilient link protocols
  • Comfort with structured logging/telemetry, time synchronization, and post-flight data analysis workflows

Reliability, Test, & Tooling: 

  • Experience building automated tests for embedded systems (unit tests, integration tests, HIL) and using simulators/replay for debugging
  • Strong version control and review practices (Git, code reviews, design reviews) with a bias toward maintainable architectures
  • Experience with build and deployment tooling (CMake/Bazel, containerized dev environments, CI systems such as GitHub Actions)
  • Understanding of observability for embedded/fielded systems: logs, metrics, event traces, and alerting for operations
  • Experience producing clear documentation for interfaces, procedures, and flight readiness reviews

Nice-To-Haves: 

  • Experience with aerospace flight software, autonomy, or safety-critical systems (FMEA/FTA, redundancy, verification)
  • Experience with satellite communication systems and constrained-link protocol design
  • Experience with GN&C concepts, sensor fusion, and control systems implementation
  • Experience with power electronics, battery safety, and energy management for long-duration platforms
  • Experience with CAN tooling, embedded networking stacks, and field diagnostics
  • Experience with environmental testing and operations in extreme conditions (thermal, vacuum/low pressure, vibration)

Requirements: 

  • Must be US Citizen or Permanent Resident 
  • Must be located near Denver, CO 

Benefits: 

  • Medical, Vision and Dental 
  • Unlimited Vacation Days 
  • Parental Leave 
  • Cell Phone Bill Stipend 
  • Stock Options 

 

Urban Sky is required to post this salary range per Colorado law. Your salary will be determined based on your abilities and experience. 

Colorado Pay Transparency

$135,000 - $170,000 USD

We expect all team members to actively leverage and continuously adapt to emerging AI tools as a core part of their daily workflow. Proficiency with job-relevant modern AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, GitHub Copilot) is expected and integral to success in this role.

NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes that they have the skills and the passion necessary to succeed here to apply for this role. 

This position may require the candidate to deal with commodities, software, technology, defense articles, and/or technical data which are subject to the Export Administration Regulations and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Additional information may be requested so as to determine whether export authorization is required from the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. If authorization is required, employment will be contingent upon the Company successfully obtaining such authorization from the relevant government agency. 

Urban Sky is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

 

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