Freelance Embedded Software Engineer Jobs in Ontario

At Spaceium, we are building spacecraft systems designed to push the boundaries of what's possible in orbit. As an Embedded Software Engineer, you will develop the core software that directly interfaces with spacecraft hardware.

You will work on mission-critical embedded systems responsible for controlling hardware, managing data flows, and ensuring reliable operation in the harsh environment of space. This role involves designing, implementing, testing, and deploying highly reliable software on embedded platforms.

This is an opportunity to be one of the first software engineers at the company, working directly with the CTO to shape the architecture and development practices for our spacecraft software stack.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop embedded software for spacecraft avionics and control systems
• Write efficient and reliable firmware using C, C++, and Python
• Develop software for microcontrollers and embedded processors
• Interface software with sensors, actuators, and spacecraft subsystems
• Implement communication protocols such as RS422, I2C, SPI, CAN, and Ethernet
• Develop real-time systems for spacecraft control and operations
• Build tools for data acquisition, diagnostics, and automation
• Perform software testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and system validation
• Collaborate closely with hardware, electrical, and systems engineers
• Help define software architecture, coding standards, and development workflows

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• Experience programming in C or C++
• Familiarity with embedded systems development
• Experience with version control systems such as Git

What We're Looking For

We're building technology that hasn't been done before. Experience is helpful, but curiosity, drive, and the ability to learn quickly matter more.

If you're excited about spacecraft, enjoy solving hard engineering problems, and want to help build something new, we encourage you to apply - whether you're early in your career or more experienced.

Preferred Skills

• Passion for spaceflight and high-reliability software systems, with familiarity in aerospace software practices.
• Self-starter with experience delivering software under tight time and resource constraints.
• Creative problem solver with strong first-principles thinking, capable of assessing risk and making decisions with limited data.
• Experience in a nimble, technical engineering role, with a scrappy, entrepreneurial approach to meeting tight time or budget constraints.
• Experience developing embedded firmware or real-time systems
• Familiarity with microcontrollers, RTOS, or embedded Linux
• Understanding of hardware interfaces and communication protocols
• Experience with testing frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, or automated testing
• Knowledge of high-reliability software development practices
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, collaborative team player, and detail-oriented with a focus on quality.

Additional Requirements

• Extended hours and weekend work may be required to support critical project and mission milestones.
• This role requires a physical presence at the Ottawa facility. 

Compensation

• Salary: $75,000 - $110,000 CAD per year
• Equity: 0.1% -0.5%

If you're excited about building the software that will run on spacecraft and want to help shape the future of space systems, we'd love to hear from you.

Build a small embedded or hardware-related project in 3 hours.

This could be something like:

• firmware for a microcontroller
• a hardware interface tool
• a sensor data logger
• a small flight-software simulation
• a protocol parser (I2C, CAN, UART, etc.)
• a hardware control system
• a spacecraft subsystem simulator
• something completely different that you think is cool

You can use any tools you want, including AI.

Submission

Record a 5 minute video where you:

1. Show the project working
2. Explain what it does
3. Walk through the architecture
4. Explain how you used AI while building it
5. Describe one engineering challenge you encountered

Then send:

• the video
• a link to the code (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
• Examples of 2 other projects that you have worked on.