Embedded Software Engineer, OS/Platform

About the role

This role sits at the operating system layer of the Starlink satellite constellation, the network that connects over 9 million active users to broadband internet around the world. As an Embedded Software Engineer on the OS/Platform team, you will build and maintain the foundation of flight software: an internal Linux, the boot chain, the security architecture, and the interfaces to custom silicon. Satellites launch, boot, connect, and then operate for years on orbit, with no keyboard, no console, and few second chances. The software you write must be reliable enough to run for a decade and flexible enough to be updated safely from the ground. You will be involved across the full lifecycle, from the first time a board is powered in the lab to years of operations on orbit, working close to the hardware, close to silicon bring-up, and close to the engineers who design the chips. If you enjoy low-level systems work with real, physical consequences, this team is one of the more interesting places to do it. The constellation operates round the clock, so the software updates, monitoring, and on-orbit behavior this role supports have a direct effect on users in the real world, which keeps the work grounded in purpose rather than abstraction.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Build and customize internal versions of Linux, Buildroot, and U-boot for flight hardware.
• Implement and maintain the security architecture, including secure boot and runtime hardening for satellite components.
• Own the spacecraft's Ethernet networking and connectivity paths.
• Develop and execute software update procedures for satellite hardware.
• Support the bring-up and lifecycle of the company's in-house System-on-Chip designs and peripherals.
• Maintain the infrastructure used for OS and platform testing so changes ship with evidence.
• Write and support device drivers for custom and third-party hardware.
• Partner with electrical, silicon, and application engineering teams to carry hardware from prototype to orbit.
• Own the hardening work that keeps the flight software safe from both bugs and threats over long orbital life.

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in engineering, computer science, math, or a related science field, OR 2+ years of professional software development experience.
• Proficiency in C, C++, Python, or Rust, with the discipline to debug at the driver level when the hardware is not behaving.
• Willingness to work weekends and extended hours as programs demand.
• Must meet ITAR requirements: U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.

Nice to have

• Experience contributing patches to the Linux kernel.
• Understanding of the Linux networking stack.
• Familiarity with modern secure boot processes and computer architecture.
• Background in ARM embedded systems.
• Experience with CI/CD, build systems, deployment, and monitoring.
• Strong debugging, unit testing, and performance optimization abilities.
• Comfort operating under the uncertainty of bring-up, where the bug may live in hardware, software, or your assumptions, and where progress means narrowing the options one test at a time.

Skills & tools

• C, C++, Python, Rust
• Linux, Buildroot, U-boot
• ARM architecture
• Ethernet networking
• Secure boot and system security
• Testing infrastructure and CI/CD

Practical notes

• On-site role in Bastrop, TX, on the Starlink hardware team. The team operates on the cadence of a working satellite fleet, so the schedule is set by what the constellation needs.
• Extended hours and weekends are expected around test campaigns and launches.
• Missions involving government work may carry security clearance requirements.
• SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; reasonable accommodation is available upon request.

About the company

Based in Starbase, Texas, a company pursues work in spaceflight, telecom, and artificial intelligence. A unit handles rocket launches, leading yearly orbital counts beyond other national and commercial teams. Another unit runs Starlink, a satellite communications firm. A third area, through SpaceXAI, advances Grok and AI integration with X, while managing data center operations. Roles often cross these paths. Candidates with engineering, software, or operations backgrounds may find chances to join projects that span launch, connectivity, and machine learning efforts in this Texas-based enterprise.