Software Engineer, Embedded Linux

About the Position

We are seeking a Software Engineer, Embedded Linux to join our defense technology company in San Bruno, California. This role involves building reliable embedded systems and working at the intersection of hardware and software.

About Us

Chariot Defense is a defense technology company that designs and manufactures power products for the U.S. military and its allies. Our mission is to enable sustained electric power in austere and resource-constrained environments, ensuring military units can be more lethal and survivable.

About the Role

We're looking for an Embedded Linux Engineer to own the software platform from the ground up. You’ll be responsible for getting Linux to boot and run reliably on custom-built boards, and ensuring the stack remains maintainable as we ship and update units in the field. This is a high-ownership, hands-on role that sits right at the hardware-software boundary.

Key Responsibilities

• Board bring-up: Methodically prove out power, memory, and communication interfaces to get the board from freshly assembled to reliably booting.
• Bootloader & kernel configuration: Stand up the bootloader and configure the Linux kernel to correctly recognize and drive our specific hardware.
• Device drivers & device tree: Describe our custom hardware to Linux and integrate the drivers needed to communicate with peripherals.
• Build & deploy with Nix / NixOS: Own our operating system defined as code, producing reproducible, identical images and building safe update and rollback paths for fielded units.
• Networking & system services: Configure on-device networking and the system services our higher-level software depends on.
• Reliability & maintainability: Build the platform to stay robust and serviceable across the product's life, under the conditions a defense product actually faces.
• Cross-functional integration: Partner closely with the firmware and hardware teams, sitting at the seam between low-level hardware and the software that runs on top of it.

What We’re Looking For

• Top-notch engineering intuition and first principles thinking toward designing complex products that function seamlessly for our customer.
• Ability to independently identify critical information or priority gaps and apply effort toward closing those gaps.
• Undaunted by imperfect, incomplete, or absent datasets or information, and capable of making sound, comprehensive, and swift first-principled decisions.
• Gratified by helping peers succeed, building a robust team culture, and propagating deep camaraderie amongst peers; seeks to break down information silos by collaborating rigorously with others to solve problems, share knowledge, and provide input.

Qualifications

Required:

• BS in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• 3+ years building and shipping embedded Linux on custom hardware.
• Proven board bring-up experience, from powered-off to reliably booting.
• Hands-on with the boot chain: bootloader, kernel configuration, drivers, and device tree.
• Fluent in C/C++ and the embedded Linux toolchain (cross-compilation, JTAG, serial debug).
• Exposure to embedded communication interfaces (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART) at the OS and driver level.

Preferred:

• Experience with Nix/NixOS.
• Experience with OS configuration as code, Yocto, Ansible.
• Production Rust experience.
• Familiarity with ARM SoCs/SoMs on custom carrier boards.
• Background in automotive, aerospace, defense, robotics, or energy.

Role Requirements

• This position is an onsite role based in Chariot Defense’s San Bruno, CA, office.
• Willingness to support 10% travel, domestically and internationally, as well as work extended and weekend hours when necessary.
• Able to work on your feet for extended periods in a shop setting.
• Able to lift and carry 50lbs.

We Offer

• A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $130,000-$180,000 annually.
• Compensation packages also include early-stage equity and access to company-sponsored benefit plans.

All employees are required to provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. within their first 3 days of work. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Chariot Defense are considered property of Chariot Defense and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

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