Senior Embedded Software Engineer – Airborne Platform Software

Quest Defense Systems & Solutions (QDSS) is seeking an experienced Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join their elite team, dedicated to safety- and mission-critical engineering. The selected candidate will be responsible for developing safety-critical airborne software, collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams, and ensuring compliance with DO-178C standards.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain embedded platform software for airborne avionics systems in compliance with DO-178C DAL A objectives
• Implement software in C/C++ and/or Ada targeting real-time embedded environments
• Develop software architectures and detailed designs that support deterministic and certifiable execution
• Execute software development activities in accordance with DO-178C processes and plans (PSAC, SDP, SVP, SCMP, SQAP)
• Ensure compliance with DAL A software objectives, including documentation, traceability, and verification artifacts
• Support certification activities with regulatory authorities and DERs
• Develop and refine low-level and software requirements derived from system and high-level requirements
• Maintain bidirectional traceability between system requirements, software requirements, design, code, and verification artifacts
• Utilize requirements management tools such as DOORS, Jama, or equivalent
• Diagnose and resolve complex software defects across requirements, design, code, and integration levels
• Support hardware/software integration activities and system-level troubleshooting
• Analyze runtime behavior in real-time operating systems and embedded hardware environments
• Support verification teams in achieving DAL A structural coverage objectives including: Statement coverage, Decision coverage, Modified Condition/Decision Coverage (MC/DC)
• Analyze coverage results and perform code analysis to address uncovered logic
• Work collaboratively with systems, hardware, test, and certification teams to ensure alignment across the development lifecycle
• Provide technical mentoring to junior engineers and contribute to design and code reviews
• Support continuous improvement of software processes and development tools

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
• 10–15 years of experience developing embedded software for aerospace, defense, or other safety-critical industries
• Demonstrated experience with DO-178C DAL A software development
• Strong proficiency in C, C++, and/or Ada for embedded systems
• Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS)
• Proven experience in troubleshooting complex embedded software issues
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills
• Close attention to detail in safety-critical environments
• Ability to work in structured engineering processes
• Strong collaboration and technical communication skills
• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• DO-178C lifecycle processes and certification artifacts
• Requirements management and traceability
• Embedded software architecture and design
• Structural coverage analysis (MC/DC)
• Debugging on embedded hardware platforms
• Software configuration management and version control
• Experience supporting airborne platform software (e.g., operating systems, drivers, middleware)
• Familiarity with avionics standards such as: ARP4754A, DO-254, or DO-330
• Experience with verification tools such as: VectorCast, LDRA, or Rapita RVS
• Familiarity with avionics communication protocols such as ARINC 429, ARINC 664, MIL-STD-1553, or AFDX
• Experience in adoption and/or integration of emerging technologies (e.g., generative AI, automation platforms, digital assistants) into day-to-day operations for continuous improvement