Job Description

Mission

Aetherflux's mission is to deliver energy to planet Earth. Our work will make energy more accessible, establish American energy independence, power underdeveloped and disaster-stricken areas, and protect American warfighters.

Background

Aetherflux is taking a new approach to an old idea called space solar power. Our constellation of satellites will collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit, convert it to electricity, and transmit power through infrared lasers to ground stations, providing reliable energy access where traditional delivery is expensive, challenging, or dangerous.

Current energy systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure, making them vulnerable to natural disasters, extreme weather, and physical and cyber attacks. Aetherflux overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable 24-hour energy distribution from space. This can revolutionize energy generation and delivery, and enable new capabilities as we deliver power to remote regions, military bases, bespoke operations, and unmanned autonomous systems.

Baiju Bhatt, who also co-founded Robinhood, founded Aetherflux in 2024. Inspired by his father’s career at NASA, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before starting Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Aetherflux is currently self-funded through a $10 million investment from Baiju.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Aetherflux’s team has worked at places like Robinhood, SpaceX, NASA, Anduril, JPL, and the U.S. Navy, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

Overview

The Embedded Software Engineer at Aetherflux will design and develop real-time software for our satellite constellation. This role involves architecting and implementing highly reliable embedded software that ensures fault-tolerant satellite control, power beaming operations, and seamless ground communication. You will work closely with electrical, mechanical, and systems engineers to create a robust software infrastructure capable of supporting Aetherflux’s space-based power transmission platform.

Responsibilities

• Real-Time Software Development: Design, implement, and test embedded software for onboard satellite control, communication, and laser power transmission.
• Flight Software Architecture: Develop and optimize fault-tolerant and high-performance software for mission-critical operations.
• Hardware Integration: Work closely with hardware engineers to integrate embedded software with spacecraft avionics, sensors, actuators, and communication systems.
• Low-Level Firmware Development: Write and optimize firmware for microcontrollers, FPGAs, and other embedded systems using C, C++, and Rust.
• Testing & Simulation: Develop software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environments for rigorous software validation.
• Data Processing & Telemetry: Implement software to manage and process satellite telemetry and power delivery data.
• Performance Optimization: Ensure software efficiency in power-limited and radiation-prone space environments.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with mechanical, optical, and thermal engineers to ensure robust and seamless software integration.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in embedded software development, real-time systems, or firmware engineering.
• Proficiency in C, C++, and/or Rust for embedded systems.
• Experience developing software for real-time operating systems (RTOS) and bare-metal applications.
• Strong understanding of microcontroller and FPGA programming.
• Experience with hardware interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, and Ethernet.
• Familiarity with embedded debugging tools including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and JTAG debuggers.
• Knowledge of Linux-based embedded systems, kernel development, and driver implementation.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Embedded Systems, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in embedded software development, particularly for aerospace or satellite applications.
• Experience with radiation-hardened software development for space environments.
• Proficiency with FPGA-based embedded software and high-performance computing.
• Experience implementing fault-tolerant and redundant software architectures.
• Familiarity with satellite communication protocols and telemetry processing.
• Hands-on experience with software-hardware co-design and embedded security principles.

Benefits

• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Unlimited paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid leave for new parents
• Relocation assistance

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Aetherflux’s discretion.

Aetherflux is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Aetherflux is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR .

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