Linux Software Developer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

San Diego, CA • Engineering • Full-time • In office

Firestorm is seeking an Embedded Linux Software Team Lead to join our team. You’ll report to the Flight Systems Software Lead, and work closely with the autonomy, avionics, and applications software teams to build robust, secure applications that power real defense missions. You will also interface with mechanical and electrical engineering teams in the product design phase to ensure software compatibility. Your time will be split between management and being an individual contributor.

This is a high-impact, hands‑on engineering leadership role focused on designing and delivering Linux based applications for media, radio, communications, SDK, and other Linux system daemons. You’ll oversee and personally contribute to the development of C/C++ system services and implement REST based and other APIs to interface with these services. You’ll help ensure interoperability with industry and defense standards while upholding security and performance requirements.

• Team management, facilitating standup meetings, scrummaster, task prioritization and scheduling and architecture and design review
• Work across engineering disciplines to ensure software compatibility and capability with product design and requirements
• Design and implement Linux core daemons in modern C++.
• Define clean, versioned REST APIs (SemVer, deprecation strategy) and deliver software application packages, installers, and artifacts across Linux, Windows, and Android (e.g., deb/AppImage, MSI/MSIX, AAR/APK add‑ons).
• Own the developer experience: samples, quickstarts, idiomatic wrappers, error models, logging/telemetry hooks, and clear documentation that make integration fast and intuitive.
• Engineer for real‑time and mission‑critical use: deterministic behavior, back‑pressure, zero‑copy paths, bounded latencies, and graceful degradation on CPU/GPU‑constrained hardware.
• Harden security by default: memory‑safe patterns, least‑privilege design, secure transport (OpenSSL/libsodium), key/material handling, and supply‑chain integrity for third‑party deps.
• Build reliability into CI/CD: cross‑platform builds (CMake, Conan/vcpkg), automated unit/integration tests (Catch2/GoogleTest, pytest, JUnit, NUnit), fuzzing, sanitizers, codegen validation.
• Collaborate across teams and with partners to gather requirements, refine APIs, and support field integrations; contribute to platform‑wide architecture and roadmap discussions.
• Contribute to operability: diagnostics, tracing, metrics, compatibility matrices, and upgrade playbooks for customers in the field.

• U.S. Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in embedded systems and Linux development in modern C/C++.
• 2+ years of experience leading a team with people management.
• Proven experience creating and maintaining Linux daemons with systemd integration.
• Strong integration background with real‑time or mission‑critical systems (5+ years) including async/event‑driven networking (TCP/UDP, REST, WebSockets, DDS/gRPC/ZeroMQ).
• Familiarity with industry/defense protocols and standards (e.g., RAS‑A, MAVLink, STANAG 4586, OMS/UCI, Link 16) and data serialization (Protobuf/FlatBuffers).
• Expertise in secure coding and dependency hygiene (OpenSSL, libsodium, memory safety, fuzzing, sanitizers).
• Cross‑platform build and packaging: CMake, Conan/vcpkg; Linux (deb/rpm/AppImage, systemd), Windows (MSVC/MinGW, windeploy/MSI/MSIX), Android (Gradle/JNI/APK signing).
• Excellent problem‑solving and communication skills; comfortable driving features end‑to‑end (requirements → design → implementation → testing → release).

• Experience troubleshooting hardware bringup and the use of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, etc.
• Experience with the Linux kernel and drivers, building, and deployment thereof
• Experience with ROS 2 (rclcpp/DDS), gRPC, ZeroMQ, and protocol gateways/bridges.
• Knowledge of telemetry pipelines and observability for SDKs (structured logs, metrics, distributed tracing).
• Experience in embedded/Linux environments (Yocto/Buildroot, cross‑compilation, OTA updates) and constrained targets.
• Performance tuning and profiling across languages (perf, VTune, Valgrind, sanitizers) and build/toolchain optimization.
• Experience developing to MIL‑STD/DO‑178C or similar safety/security standards.
• Track record of mentoring peers, conducting code reviews, and enforcing modern C++/API best practices.

• This role is preferred to be on‑site in San Diego, but hybrid candidates may be considered.
• We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.
• Willingness to travel up to 15% domestically for testing and demonstrations

US Salary Range: $140,000 - $180,000 USD

Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth.

• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long‑term retirement goals
• Equity grants for new hires
• Unlimited PTO
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November & December
• Generous Parental Leave
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• FSA
• DCFSA
• HSA
• Hospital Indemnity insurance
• Critical Illness insurance
• Accident insurance
• Basic Life/AD&D, short‑term and long‑term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work‑life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.

To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.

Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.

Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com so we can provide the support you need.