Jobs at Firestorm

Develop and optimize flight-critical embedded firmware for unmanned aerial systems, including avionics, flight controllers, mission payloads, drivers, BSPs, HALs, and RTOS integrations. Perform hardware and software integration, testing, fault injection, troubleshooting, and safety compliance. Collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, simulation, and field operations teams while documenting requirements, test plans, integration procedures, and troubleshooting guides. The role is onsite in San Diego and includes limited domestic travel for deployments and testing.

Develop and lead ATAK Android applications and plugins supporting tactical communications, situational awareness, UAS integration, and mission execution. Responsibilities include Java development, Android architecture, C++ integration, secure communications, CI/CD, code review, technical documentation, release planning, UX optimization, and stakeholder demonstrations. The role mentors junior developers and collaborates with government, military, software, hardware, and operations teams.

Lead Firestorm’s Simulation team and develop a reusable UAS simulation platform supporting aircraft models, sensors, propulsion, flight software, SIL/HIL testing, scenario orchestration, distributed execution, training, and demonstrations. Manage simulation infrastructure, integrations, automated test environments, cross-platform deployment, and team growth. The role requires hands-on software and simulation expertise across complex aircraft, robotics, networking, and hardware systems.

Lead the technical architecture and execution of a UAS development program across hardware, software, firmware, testing, and flight operations. Own architectural trade-offs, verification and validation strategy, design reviews, configuration control, technical risk, and readiness decisions. Partner with program leadership, customers, and government reviewers while ensuring the vehicle meets safety, performance, cost, and schedule objectives.

Leads complex aerospace and defense programs from concept through deployment, integrating technical, schedule, cost, resources, risks, vendors, and customer requirements. Coordinates engineering, manufacturing, quality, sales, and business teams; manages program reviews, demonstrations, proposals, and regulatory compliance. Drives cross-functional execution, variant management, continuous improvement, and delivery of mission-critical autonomous systems.

Lead the Firestorm OS engineering team developing a reusable Linux-based software platform for autonomous aircraft. Own platform architecture, shared services, hardware interfaces, SDKs, networking, integration, release execution, reliability, and debugging across complex aircraft systems. Partner with autonomy, avionics, payload, electrical, mechanical, and systems teams while hiring and developing embedded Linux and systems software engineers.

Lead integration of third-party SDKs, APIs, mission systems, payloads, and software into Linux-based autonomous aircraft platforms. Build integration tools, debug issues across networking, hardware interfaces, and distributed systems, and deliver production-ready software. Collaborate across autonomy, avionics, electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering teams. Support field testing and operational integration activities.

Maintain cloud and on-premises infrastructure across secure and air-gapped environments. Responsibilities include provisioning servers and virtual machines, monitoring systems, responding to incidents, automating administration, managing networks, implementing backups and disaster recovery, hardening systems, remediating vulnerabilities, planning capacity, and documenting operational procedures. The role supports Microsoft 365 GCC-High, AWS-Gov, CUI, ITAR, CMMC, and NIST compliance requirements.

Develop and maintain software integrations connecting payload hardware, mission applications, and autonomous systems. Integrate SDKs and APIs for cameras, radios, sensors, and other equipment; build configuration, monitoring, and control tools; customize mission applications; debug Linux, networking, hardware, and distributed software systems; create Docker deployments; and support field testing and upstream production integration.

The Buyer manages full-cycle procurement for prototype and production hardware, including RFQs, supplier evaluation, negotiations, purchase orders, delivery schedules, cost analysis, and supplier performance. The role maintains BOM and procurement records, supports NPI and lifecycle changes, ensures FAR, DFARS, ITAR, cybersecurity, and audit compliance, and collaborates with engineering, operations, finance, quality, receiving, and warehouse teams to mitigate supply risks and improve costs.

Leads defense business development for unmanned ground vehicle systems by identifying DoD opportunities, managing relationships, shaping capture and teaming strategies, and overseeing proposals through contract award. Analyzes markets, acquisition cycles, competitors, and pipeline health while translating technical capabilities into mission-focused solutions. Requires federal and DoD business development experience, familiarity with procurement processes, and the ability to obtain a DoD security clearance. The role is remote with travel up to 25% domestically and internationally.

Leads complex technical recruiting searches across electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, avionics, hardware, and related engineering disciplines. Partners with engineering leadership on talent strategy, market mapping, sourcing, pipelines, candidate engagement, compensation, and closing. Advises on specialized talent markets, mentors recruiters, develops scalable recruiting practices, and represents the company in engineering communities. The role supports defense technology hiring subject to ITAR and security-clearance requirements.

Own product strategy, roadmap, and backlog for a defined portfolio area. Gather insights from factory floors and test events, translate feedback into user stories and prototypes, define success metrics, evaluate build-versus-buy decisions, and communicate product status and risks. Collaborate closely with engineering, manufacturing, operators, and leadership while supporting defense and autonomous-systems products.

Converts aircraft engineering data into production-ready routings, BOMs, travelers, work instructions, tooling, and fixtures. Supports first articles, engineering builds, aircraft assembly, NPI, and rate production while improving work cells and lean processes. Partners with engineering and quality on manufacturability, inspections, nonconformances, and configuration changes. Trains technicians, supports capacity and estimating, and packages processes for deployment to additional production sites. Requires extensive hands-on aircraft manufacturing experience and daily onsite shop-floor work.

Lead technical development of unmanned aerial systems from concept and prototyping through first flight and productionization. Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering, systems architecture, requirements, integration, verification, testing, certification, and risk management. Establish scalable systems engineering, configuration management, design review, and agile execution processes across UAS programs. Collaborate with suppliers, customers, government agencies, and leadership while supporting airworthiness, safety, and regulatory compliance.

Design, build, secure, and operate Crucible’s cloud infrastructure across commercial cloud, GovCloud, on-premise, and air-gapped environments. Responsibilities include Kubernetes, Terraform, Helm, GitOps, networking, identity and security controls, CI/CD, observability, distributed-system debugging, deployment tooling, and infrastructure reliability. The role partners with software teams to translate ambiguous requirements into scalable, secure platform solutions.

Build automated end-to-end tests, frameworks, harnesses, services, and infrastructure for autonomous aircraft software across SIL, HIL, and VIL environments. Automate release testing, orchestration, data collection, analysis, and reporting; debug failures across software, networking, hardware, and simulation; expand system coverage; and integrate testing into CI/CD and release workflows.

Build and improve platform security for software operating across cloud, factory, edge, and air-gapped environments. Responsibilities include implementing identity, access control, secrets management, data protection, and system boundaries; hardening Kubernetes, Linux, cloud, and edge deployments; securing software supply chains; automating CI/CD security controls; conducting threat modeling and vulnerability remediation; and supporting accreditation through technical controls, evidence, and system designs.

Design, analyze, prototype, test, and support production of mechanical and electromechanical components for UAV systems. Responsibilities include aircraft structural analysis, SolidWorks CAD modeling, engineering drawings, GD&T, FEA, hand calculations, DFM, rapid prototyping, hardware integration, troubleshooting, configuration management, and collaboration with electrical, manufacturing, and flight-test teams.

Build and own the Linux-based edge platform powering factory, deployable, and air-gapped Crucible environments. Responsibilities include system provisioning, networking, security, updates, recovery, device lifecycle management, hardware and peripheral integrations, disconnected operation, fleet management, and full-stack debugging across applications, operating systems, networks, and physical equipment. The role also partners on edge-to-cloud architecture, deployment topology, and system security.