Senior Firmware Engineer

07 Oct Senior Firmware Engineer

About

BlackSwift designs and delivers advanced unmanned aerial systems and mission-enabling technologies for demanding operational environments. The company is known for technically rigorous aircraft development, rapid engineering execution, and deep experience supporting aerospace, defense, research, and specialized field operations where reliability, flight performance, and disciplined delivery matter.

BlackSwift’s work spans aircraft design, system integration, flight operations, and the practical engineering required to move from concept to flight-ready capability. The company operates close to the hardware, close to the mission, and close to the realities of certification, airspace access, customer delivery, and field execution.

BlackSwift is powered by KrateoSky which reflects a shared commitment to building trusted autonomous aerial systems with stronger operating discipline, modern engineering workflows, and AI-native execution. Through this connection, BlackSwift is part of a broader effort to scale reliable, mission-ready autonomy with the rigor, speed, and systems thinking required in regulated and mission-critical environments.

This is an opportunity to do consequential work alongside experienced leaders, help build a category-defining platform, and solve hard engineering and operational challenges that matter in the real world. As an AI-native organization, KrateoSky is also building an environment where modern tools, automation, and connected systems help teams move faster, reduce manual work, and focus their energy on the highest-value problems. For people who are motivated by mission, energized by building, and excited by the chance to combine speed, rigor, and intelligent automation, KrateoSky offers the opportunity to have outsized impact on technology, operations, and the future of trusted autonomy.

Position Summary

BlackSwift is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer to provide senior-level embedded firmware ownership for the SwiftCore flight management system across BlackSwift’s UAS platforms. This role exists to strengthen the embedded foundation of flight-critical and mission-enabling systems through disciplined firmware development, robust device bring-up, and reliable real-time interface implementation on MCU-tier targets.

This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role with meaningful technical ownership. You will develop and maintain low-level and application-layer embedded firmware, own board and device bring-up activities, and solve difficult real-time integration problems spanning sensors, control-adjacent interfaces, telemetry, and onboard electronics. The role is central to turning electrical hardware into dependable, flight-ready capability through rigorous debugging, logging, verification, and cross-functional execution.

You will work closely with electrical, systems, RF, mechanical, integration, and flight-test teams to ensure firmware supports reliable operation in demanding field environments. You will also help elevate BlackSwift’s firmware capability by mentoring junior engineers and interns, reinforcing sound engineering practices, and contributing to stronger verification and release discipline. In line with BlackSwift’s AI-native operating model, this role is expected to use modern automation and AI-enabled tools to improve development throughput, debugging efficiency, documentation quality, and engineering decision speed.

Key Responsibilities

• Embedded Firmware Development: Develop, maintain, and improve embedded firmware for SwiftCore MCU-tier targets supporting BlackSwift UAS platforms and related mission-system hardware.
• Device Bring-Up and Low-Level Integration: Own board and device bring-up activities, including initialization, peripheral configuration, low-level diagnostics, and resolution of hardware-software integration issues.
• Drivers and Hardware Abstraction: Design, implement, and maintain firmware drivers, hardware abstraction layers, and real-time interfaces for sensors, actuators, control-adjacent subsystems, and onboard electronics.
• Real-Time System Execution: Build and optimize firmware for deterministic behavior, timing reliability, fault handling, and stable execution in real-time or RTOS-based environments.
• Debugging and Root Cause Analysis: Lead hands-on debugging using standard lab tools and embedded diagnostics to isolate firmware, interface, and hardware interaction issues discovered during development, integration, and test.
• Logging, Diagnostics, and Telemetry Support: Improve onboard logging, diagnostics, telemetry visibility, and data capture needed for verification, field troubleshooting, and product improvement.
• Firmware Verification and Validation: Define and execute firmware V&V activities, including bench testing, regression support, issue reproduction, defect closure, and documented verification of requirements and fixes.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Partner closely with electrical, systems, RF, mechanical, integration, and flight-test teams to align interfaces, integration sequencing, operational behavior, and release readiness.
• Technical Quality and Release Discipline: Contribute to strong firmware engineering practices across code quality, version control, traceability, documentation, test evidence, and release readiness for embedded systems.
• Mentorship and Technical Guidance: Mentor junior firmware engineers and interns through code reviews, debugging support, technical coaching, and practical guidance on embedded development and integration.
• AI-Enabled Engineering Execution: Use AI and automation tools in practical ways to accelerate debugging, improve documentation, reduce repetitive development work, and increase engineering throughput without compromising rigor.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related technical field.
• 6–10 years of relevant experience in firmware or embedded systems engineering.
• Strong experience developing embedded software in C and/or C++ for microcontroller-based or other resource-constrained systems.
• Strong experience working in real-time or RTOS-based embedded environments, including timing-sensitive interfaces and deterministic execution requirements.
• Demonstrated experience with hardware bring-up, low-level debugging, and root-cause analysis across firmware and electronics boundaries.
• Experience developing or maintaining device drivers, board-support functionality, low-level interfaces, and embedded diagnostics for mission-relevant hardware.
• Experience leading or materially contributing to firmware verification and validation in regulated, safety-critical, high-reliability, or otherwise mission-critical environments.
• Ability to work effectively across electrical, systems, integration, and test teams to move embedded systems from concept through validation and release.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document technical decisions, communicate tradeoffs, and contribute effectively in design and review settings.
• Demonstrated use of AI and automation as productivity multipliers in engineering workflows, with a practical instinct to eliminate manual work and improve throughput.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance, as required for the position, and to meet applicable U.S. export control requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with avionics, UAS, robotics, or other safety-relevant embedded systems operating in demanding real-world environments.
• Familiarity with flight management systems, control-adjacent embedded software, or low-level vehicle-control execution where deterministic performance and reliability are critical.
• Experience integrating sensors, navigation hardware, telemetry pathways, or other mission-system interfaces into embedded firmware.
• Experience supporting onboard logging, fault management, diagnostics, and telemetry visibility for fielded systems.
• Experience with bench, hardware-in-the-loop, or system-level test environments used to verify embedded firmware behavior prior to flight or deployment.
• Experience collaborating closely with electrical engineering during board bring-up, interface definition, and design iteration.
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related technical field.

Location(s): Boulder, CO.

Reports To: BlackSwift Chief Technology Officer

Travel: Up to 25%

Base Salary Range:

Security Clearance: Due to the nature of this role and the work performed, candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance, as required for the position.

Export Control Requirements: This position must meet U.S. export control compliance requirements. To meet U.S. export control compliance requirements, a “U.S. Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. §120.62 is required. “U.S. Person” includes U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.

Equal Opportunity: BlackSwift is an equal opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions based on lawful, job-related qualifications, merit, and business need, and do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where employees with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can contribute and succeed. BlackSwift is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and to applicants who require accommodation during the recruiting, application, or interview process, consistent with applicable law. If you need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know.

Compensation & Benefits: The total compensation package for this role includes base salary and may also include eligibility for annual bonus, incentive compensation, and/or equity, depending on role level, experience, skills, qualifications, and work location. In addition, BlackSwift offers a competitive benefits package, which may include medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement benefits, paid time off, and other employee benefit programs, subject to plan terms and eligibility requirements. Any posted compensation range reflects the good-faith estimate of base salary for this role at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, market data, and geographic location. BlackSwift reserves the right to modify compensation, benefits, and other terms of employment in accordance with applicable law.