Talent.com
Ascend Engineering
Embedded EngineerAscend Engineering • Chicago, Illinois, United States
No longer accepting applications
Embedded Engineer

Embedded Engineer

Ascend Engineering • Chicago, Illinois, United States
28 days ago
Job type
  • Full-time
  • Permanent
Job description

We are seeking an embedded software engineer to develop and maintain low-level flight software for UAV platforms running PX4 or ArduPilot. This role involves board bring-up, writing and porting device drivers, working directly with MCU peripherals and hardware buses, and getting firmware onto flight controllers reliably and repeatably. The engineer will work at the bottom of the UAV stack — from bootloaders and RTOS internals up to MAVLink-level system behavior — while maintaining a strong focus on reliability and practical field performance.

This position requires someone who is equally comfortable in a datasheet, a debugger, and on a bench with a logic analyzer. The ideal candidate enjoys hardware/software boundary problems, can diagnose an issue whether it originates in silicon or in code, and takes ownership of projects from schematic review through flight validation.

MUST HAVE PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN US

Responsibilities

  • Develop and modify PX4 (NuttX) or ArduPilot (ChibiOS) firmware, including board support packages and hardware definitions for new flight controller targets
  • Write, port, and debug device drivers over UART, I2C, SPI, CAN/DroneCAN, and USB for sensors, rangefinders, radios, gimbals, and payloads
  • Bring up new hardware from bare board to flying vehicle: clocks, power rails, pin muxing, peripheral configuration, and first-boot validation
  • Build, flash, and debug firmware and bootloaders using SWD/JTAG probes (J-Link, ST-Link), and maintain reliable field update paths (bootloader flashing, MAVLink FTP, parameter and storage layout)
  • Implement and validate MAVLink message handling and interfaces between the flight controller, companion computers, and ground stations
  • Diagnose timing, interrupt, DMA, memory, and bus-level issues at the bench using an oscilloscope, logic analyzer (Saleae or similar), CAN bus analyzer, and bench supply with current monitoring
  • Conduct bench and flight testing, analyze flight logs and telemetry, and resolve firmware issues found in the field
  • Document hardware interfaces, driver behavior, bring-up procedures, and design decisions

Required Qualifications

  • Strong C and C++ programming skills in resource-constrained embedded environments
  • Hands-on experience with ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers (STM32 or similar), including peripheral configuration from the datasheet and reference manual
  • Practical experience with UART, I2C, SPI, and CAN — including debugging them on real hardware, not just calling an API
  • Experience flashing and debugging embedded targets over SWD/JTAG, and working with bootloaders and firmware update mechanisms
  • Comfort working in an RTOS or bare-metal context (interrupts, DMA, task scheduling, memory constraints)
  • Experience debugging complex software and hardware interactions with lab instrumentation — oscilloscope, logic analyzer, protocol decoders, and a multimeter as second nature
  • Ability to work independently, take ownership of engineering tasks, and exercise practical engineering judgment

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience modifying or contributing to PX4 or ArduPilot codebases, particularly drivers or board configuration
  • Familiarity with MAVLink, autopilot parameters, and flight log analysis
  • Experience with DroneCAN/Cyphal, DShot or other ESC protocols, or PWM/timer-driven peripherals
  • Experience integrating IMUs, barometers, magnetometers, GPS, LiDAR, or camera modules at the driver level
  • Experience building or configuring drones from components, and reading schematics well enough to work with hardware engineers
  • Personal robotics, UAV, or embedded systems projects

What We Value

  • Engineers who build and experiment outside of work
  • Strong ownership and accountability for outcomes
  • Practical, hands-on problem solving
  • Clear communication and collaboration within small teams
  • Curiosity and continuous learning
Create a job alert for this search

Embedded Engineer • Chicago, Illinois, United States

Similar jobs

Principal Software Engineer - Capital One Software (Remote)

Capital One BankChicago, IL, United States
Remote
Full-time +1

Principal Software Engineer - Capital One Software (Remote)Ever since our first credit card customer in 1994, Capital One has recognized that technology and data can enable even large companies to ... Show more

 • Promoted

Diagnostic Sales Manager (North Chicago)

Antech DiagnosticsHighland Park, IL, United States
Full-time

The Diagnostic Sales Manager (DSM) will manage their territory market share, book of business, and growth goals by promoting, selling, and supporting Antech Reference Lab services, In-house Diagnos... Show more

 • Promoted

Alarm Programmer

Tri-ElectronicsHammond, IN, United States
Full-time

Job Overview We are seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Alarm Programmer to join our security systems team.In this role, you will be responsible for designing, configuring, and programming compre... Show more

 • Promoted

Aerospace Software Embedded Engineering Director

WoodwardNiles, IL, United States
Permanent

Woodward is committed to creating a great workplace for all team members.Our company and its members are committed to acting with integrity, being respectful and accountable to one another, and sta... Show more

 • Promoted

Senior Software Engineer, Compute Platform Chicago, IL or Remote

Moon Lite IncChicago, IL, United States
Remote
Full-time

Senior Software Engineer, Compute Platform Chicago, IL or Remote Moonlite delivers high-performance AI infrastructure for organizations running intensive computational research, large-scale model t... Show more

 • Promoted

Work-From-Home Product Beta Tester - $45 per hour

Great LionZion, Illinois
$45.00 hourly
Remote
Part-time +1

Product Testers are wanted to work from home nationwide in the US to fulfill upcoming contracts with national and international companies.We guarantee 15-25 hours per week with an hourly pay of bet... Show more

 • Promoted

VP Business Development

GVW GroupHighland Park, IL, United States
Full-time

Triz Engineering Solutions is a premium product engineering and development company specializing in end-to-end turn-key commercial vehicle development.We provide end to end engineering services for... Show more

 • Promoted

Engineering Manager | Custom Engineered Machinery

Michael PageHarvey, IL, United States
Full-time

Engineering ManagerMy client is a well-established manufacturer of cutting edge, custom engineered industrial machinery & equipment.Serving the foremost companies in a variety of industries (ae... Show more

 • Promoted

Online Product Tester

Online Consumer Panels AmericaZion, Illinois, US
$25.00 hourly
Part-time +1

Product Testers are wanted to work from home nationwide in the US to fulfill upcoming contracts with national and international companies.We guarantee 15-25 hours per week with an hourly pay of bet... Show more

 • Promoted

Engineer II Projects

Zachry GroupHammond, IN, United States
Full-time

Zachry Engineering Corporation (ZEC) is currently looking for an early career Engineer of Projects for our Hammond, IN office.The ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience in an en... Show more

 • Promoted

Work From Home - Online Product Support - $45 per hour

GL1Highland Park, Illinois
$45.00 hourly
Remote
Part-time +1

Product Testers are wanted to work from home nationwide in the US to fulfill upcoming contracts with national and international companies.We guarantee 15-25 hours per week with an hourly pay of bet... Show more

 • Promoted

Remote Product Tester

OCPAHighland Park, Illinois, US
$18.00 hourly
Remote
Part-time +1

Product Testers are wanted to work from home in the UK to fulfill upcoming contracts with local and international companies.We guarantee 15-25 hours per week with an hourly pay of between £18/hr.Th... Show more

 • Promoted

Senior AEM Developer || Remote || W2 Only ||

XlysiZion, IL, United States
Remote
Full-time

We are seeking an experienced Full Stack Developer with expertise in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) to join our team.The ideal candidate should have a strong background in backend technologies such... Show more

 • Promoted

Advanced Electronics

U.S. NavyRiverdale, IL, United States
Full-time

Job Title :Advanced Electronics / Computer Field (ET/FC) Category / Component :Enlisted Active Overview The Advanced Electronics and Computer Field trains Sailors to maintain, operate, and repair s... Show more

 • Promoted

Consumer Research Panel Member

GL IncZion, Illinois
$15.00 hourly
Part-time +1

Product Testers are wanted to work from home nationwide in the US to fulfill upcoming contracts with national and international companies.We guarantee 15-25 hours per week with an hourly pay of bet... Show more

 • Promoted

Maintenance Lead - 2nd Shift

Township High School District 113Highland Park, IL, United States
Full-time

The Maintenance and Infrastructure Lead is a high-level technical leadership role responsible for the operational integrity, safety, and efficiency of all building systems within Township High Scho... Show more

 • Promoted

Director, Implementation Engineer (Hybrid or Remote)

Arch Insurance Group Inc.Chicago, IL, United States
Remote
Full-time

Director, Implementation Engineer (Hybrid or Remote)Join to apply for the Director, Implementation Engineer (Hybrid or Remote) role at Arch Insurance Group Inc.Director, Implementation Engineer (Hy... Show more

 • Promoted

Flexible remote AI work. Your schedule. Paid weekly, straight to your bank account.

Meridian.aiZion, IL, US
Remote
Full-time

Review and label digital content including text, images, and documents.Every task you complete helps improve how technology interprets information and performs in practical settings.Detail-oriented... Show more

 • Promoted

VP Business Development

Triz Engineering SolutionsHighland Park, IL, United States
Full-time

Triz Engineering Solutions is a premium product engineering and development company specializing in end-to-end turn-key commercial vehicle development.We provide end to end engineering services for... Show more

 • Promoted

Cybersecurity IAM Engineer-REMOTE

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrenâ€s Hospital of Chicago FoundationHarvey, IL, United States
Remote
Full-time +1

DescriptionThe IAM Engineer is responsible for the administration of Lurie Children's Identity Access Management (IAM) systems including Identity Governance Administration (IGA) and Privileged Acce... Show more