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Drone Embedded Software Jobs in Massachusetts (NOW HIRING)

Flock Safety

Senior Product Manager, Aviation

Boston, MA · On-site

$160 - $190/hr

... embedded software, connectivity, and cloud software. * Translate regulatory shifts across aviation ... Drone as First Responder (DFR) ecosystem to refine product workflows. * Collaborate cross ...

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Drone Embedded Software information

What is a drone embedded software engineer?

Drone embedded software engineers are professionals who design, develop, and maintain the software that runs directly on the hardware of drones. This software controls essential functions such as flight control, navigation, communication, and sensor integration. Embedded software is optimized for real-time performance and reliability, often written in languages like C or C++. These engineers work closely with hardware teams to ensure seamless integration and efficient operation of drones in various applications, from aerial photography to industrial inspections.

How does a drone embedded software engineer typically collaborate with hardware and flight operations teams?

Drone Embedded Software engineers work closely with hardware engineers to ensure seamless integration between software and drone components, such as sensors and flight controllers. Regular communication with flight operations teams is essential to gather feedback on drone performance and troubleshoot any issues discovered during test flights. This collaborative environment helps accelerate development, improve reliability, and ensures that software updates align well with evolving hardware and operational requirements.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a drone embedded software engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Drone Embedded Software Engineer, you need a strong background in computer science or electrical engineering, proficiency in C/C++, and experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and embedded systems. Familiarity with tools such as Git, JTAG debuggers, and communication protocols (SPI, I2C, UART), as well as knowledge of drone-specific hardware platforms, is typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills help you excel in this role. These skills ensure reliable, efficient, and safe drone operation, which is critical for both performance and regulatory compliance.

What is the difference between Drone Embedded Software vs Drone Firmware Developer?

AspectDrone Embedded SoftwareDrone Firmware Developer
CredentialsKnowledge of embedded systems, programming languages (C/C++), electronicsSimilar credentials, often with embedded systems experience
Work EnvironmentDesigning and testing software for drone hardwareDeveloping low-level firmware for drone controllers
Industry UsageUsed across drone manufacturing and R&DPrimarily in hardware-focused drone companies
Search/Comparison IntentUnderstanding roles in drone software developmentFocusing on firmware-specific tasks in drones

Drone Embedded Software and Drone Firmware Developer roles overlap significantly, both requiring embedded systems knowledge and working within the drone industry. The main difference lies in scope: embedded software covers a broader range of software applications within drones, while firmware developers focus specifically on low-level hardware control. Both roles are essential for drone development and often share similar qualifications.

What are popular job titles related to Drone Embedded Software jobs in Massachusetts?

For Drone Embedded Software jobs in Massachusetts, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Drone Embedded Software jobs in Massachusetts look for?

The top searched job categories for Drone Embedded Software jobs in Massachusetts are:

What cities in Massachusetts are hiring for Drone Embedded Software jobs?

Cities in Massachusetts with the most Drone Embedded Software job openings:

Drone Embedded Software jobs near you

Senior Software Engineer, Edge Systems

Gather AI

Boston, MA

Full-time

Posted 15 days ago

Job description

About Us

Are you ready to build the future of supply chain? At Gather AI, we're not just creating software; we're pioneering a new era of warehouse intelligence. We've developed a groundbreaking, vision-powered platform that uses autonomous drones and existing equipment to capture real-time data, completely digitizing workflows that have historically been manual and error-prone. This means facilities operate smarter, safer, and more efficiently, ultimately redefining "on-time, in full" delivery.

If you're looking for an opportunity to contribute to truly transformative technology and make a significant impact in a vital industry, Gather AI is the place for you. We're leading the charge in the rapidly evolving robotics industry, and we invite you to join us in reshaping the global supply chain, one intelligent warehouse at a time.

About the Team

Gather's Drone and Swapper teams build and operate the software that keeps autonomous drones flying, docking, and charging in live warehouse environments. The team works across mobile applications, onboard software, cloud services, and the robotics platform, and they do it in close proximity to the hardware itself. Debugging here means walking to the lab, not filing a ticket and waiting.

About the Role

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer, Edge Systems to own the software layer between our drone and swapper hardware and the rest of the stack. This is a Pittsburgh-based, hands-on role built around one core idea: shortening the feedback loop between software changes and real hardware.

You'll work across the full robotics software stack, including mobile applications, diagnostics and observability infrastructure, communication between the robotics platform and central compute, OTA update systems, and cloud synchronization.

When a production issue comes in, you'll be the person who can walk to the hardware, reproduce it, and fix it, without waiting on remote resources or a slow debugging cycle.

What You'll Do
  • Own and improve the software stack supporting the drone and swapper platform, including mobile applications, diagnostics, communications, configuration management, and OTA update systems
  • Investigate and resolve production issues that require direct hardware access, turning around fixes with minimal latency
  • Build and improve logging and diagnostics infrastructure that makes the system observable and easier to debug across mobile, cloud, and robotics layers
  • Collaborate daily with Mobile, Autonomy, Backend, and QA teams to ship reliable software across the full system
  • Own features end-to-end from investigation through deployment, including support for customer-facing issues in production
  • Contribute to the long-term architecture of a unified software platform supporting both drone and swapper systems
What You'll Need
  • 5+ years of professional software engineering experience shipping and supporting production systems
  • Mobile application development experience in Swift (iOS preferred) and/or Kotlin (Android a plus)
  • Strong debugging skills across complex, multi-component production systems, with the ability to independently investigate ambiguous failures
  • Solid networking fundamentals including REST APIs, TCP/IP, WebSockets or MQTT
  • Comfort working directly with hardware during development and debugging, not just in simulation or emulation
Nice to Have
  • Experience with robotics, embedded systems, or hardware-integrated software
  • Linux development or debugging experience
  • Familiarity with OTA update systems, device management, or cloud synchronization for distributed devices
  • CI/CD experience for mobile or embedded applications