Location : Forlì or Milan (Hybrid)

Start Date : Earliest availability

Contract : Permanent Full-Time

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ABOUT NAUTILUS:

Nautilus specializes in advanced Flight Dynamics solutions for deep-space, lunar, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions, supporting the entire mission lifecycle from design to in-orbit operations. We are advancing space exploration by integrating ground-based and onboard autonomous technologies, empowering missions to navigate challenging environments, and enabling next-generation self-driving satellites . Our products and services include:

• Flight Dynamics as a Service (FDaaS)
• On-Ground Flight Dynamics Software Solutions (NEMO software suite)
• On-Board Autonomous Guidance & Navigation Technologies
• ADCS Ground Testing Equipment (CubeDynA)

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JOB DESCRIPTION:

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced Senior Embedded Software Engineer to join our avionics software development team and contribute to the development of onboard software for innovative autonomous spacecraft systems. You will design, implement, and test embedded software for space-grade microcontrollers and processors, supporting real-time operations and enabling fully autonomous decision-making capabilities onboard.

This role is essential to realizing our vision of self-driving satellites and next-generation space navigation technologies. You will work in close coordination with electronics, flight dynamics, and systems engineers to ensure seamless integration of software with hardware and mission requirements.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Embedded Software Design and Development: Design, implement, and verify embedded software running on onboard computing hardware for space applications, including MCUs and SoCs (e.g., ARM Cortex, LEON, RISC-V).
• Software Architecture : Define and maintain robust software architecture for modular, scalable, and testable systems.
• Algorithm Porting and Optimization : Support the porting of scientific software and algorithms to embedded environments, optimizing computational performance and memory footprint based on the target hardware architecture.
• Hardware-Software Co-Design: Collaborate with electronics and FPGA teams to develop drivers and low-level firmware to interface with peripherals such as cameras, IMUs, and RF transceivers.
• Testing and Verification : Conduct rigorous unit testing, integration testing, and hardware-in-the-loop testing. Support functional, thermal, and radiation qualification of software in space-representative conditions.
• FDIR Integration : Design and implement onboard Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) routines to ensure autonomous anomaly management in orbit.
• Technology Development and Flight Software Roadmaps: Define and contribute to software development roadmaps toward TRL 9, including evolution from laboratory prototypes to flight-ready systems.
• Software Reuse and Quality Assurance : Lead efforts to ensure software reusability, standardization, and maintainability through disciplined engineering and quality assurance practices.
• Cross-Team Collaboration : Actively collaborate with flight dynamics and hardware teams to ensure mission consistency and alignment with system-level requirements.

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REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Education : Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related fields.
• Experience : Minimum 3 years of experience in embedded software development, preferably for space or aerospace systems.
• Programming : Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems.
• Software for Space Systems : Understanding of embedded software design constraints and practices in the space domain, including radiation effects, memory limitations, and restricted I/O bandwidth.
• FDIR Implementation : Knowledge of onboard fault management software for space systems, including watchdogs, safing routines, and redundant system control.
• Bus Interfaces : Familiarity with standard satellite bus protocols and interfaces like CAN, UART, I2C, SPI, and SpaceWire.
• Familiarity with ECSS software engineering standards applied to embedded software development is highly valued.
• AI for Embedded Systems : Foundational or advanced knowledge of AI techniques, with a focus on solutions that can be transferred to or deployed on embedded hardware, is highly welcome.
• RTOS : Experience with Real-Time Operating Systems (e.g., FreeRTOS, RTEMS, Zephyr) for task scheduling and time-critical applications is highly welcome.
• Languages : Excellent written and spoken technical English.

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WHY JOIN US:

✅ Flexible Work Environment : Enjoy a 50/50 split between in-office and remote work, with flexible start and end times to suit your daily rhythm. Additionally, take advantage of up to 6 weeks per year to work remotely from outside your usual geographic location.

✅ Impactful Work : Directly contribute to pioneering new generation of self-driving spacecraft.

✅ Professional Growth : Opportunities for career advancement toward technical leadership roles.

✅ Cutting-edge Environment : Opportunity to join a dynamic, rapidly growing company working on groundbreaking space missions (lunar to deep-space exploration). You’ll access advanced technologies and contribute directly to pioneering space projects.

Join Nautilus and play a leading role in shaping autonomous satellite navigation for the future of space exploration!