About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Airlines and Aviation.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

Confidential client is seeking a Flight Software Engineer to design, build, and validate autonomous flight software for commercial unmanned aircraft. You will implement guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems, integrate perception and sensor-fusion modules, and develop real-time decision-making components used during simulation, hardware-in-the-loop (HITL), and flight tests.

• Design, develop, and optimize autonomous flight software (GNC, path planning, collision avoidance).
• Implement real-time mission management and adaptive control logic for dynamic flight conditions.
• Integrate software with onboard sensors, actuators, and avionics stacks.
• Develop and maintain flight-planning, precision-landing, and avoidance systems.
• Build and run simulations, HITL setups, and support field flight-testing campaigns.
• Perform code reviews, enforce safety-critical software practices, and drive reliability improvements.
• Troubleshoot and optimize embedded flight code in both simulation and live testing environments.
• Collaborate with systems, avionics, and test teams to ensure safe integration and operation.

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What We’re Looking For

We value hands-on experience shipping flight software for autonomous aircraft and strong engineering fundamentals for safety-critical embedded systems.

• Hands-on experience developing flight control algorithms or GNC systems for autonomous aircraft.
• Proficiency in C++ and/or Python (experience with Rust is a plus) for real-time embedded systems.
• Experience with ROS or similar middleware for autonomy and robotic systems.
• Familiarity with simulation environments and HITL testing workflows.
• Knowledge of sensor fusion, path planning, obstacle avoidance, and adaptive control.
• Background integrating computer vision into flight systems is preferred.
• Experience developing safety-critical software and following validation/verification practices.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work in fast-paced, multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred / Nice-to-have:

• Prior experience deploying autonomy on aircraft or large-scale UAV platforms.
• Experience with avionics integration and real-world flight-test support.

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Benefits & Perks

Confidential client offers competitive compensation and early-stage equity, plus benefits that support growth and wellbeing.

• Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity
• Relocation support if applicable
• Employee health benefit plans
• 6% retirement matching
• Flexible PTO
• Office perks (meals, snacks) and AI tools/subscriptions for engineers

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Basic Info

• Role: Flight Software Engineer
• Location: Berkeley, CA (on-site / engineering lab + flight-test support)
• Employment type: FULL_TIME
• Industry: Airlines and Aviation

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.