Senior Embedded Systems Architect

Senior Embedded Systems Architect

(Real-Time, Safety & Platform Architecture)

Location: Berlin (Onsite)

About Us

We are a defense technology startup based in Berlin , building the next generation defense layer against aerial threats. Our team develops mission-critical systems that combine hardware, software, sensing, and actuation to operate reliably in complex real-world environments.

Operating in stealth mode, we emphasize engineering rigor, deterministic performance, and defense-grade system robustness across our hardware and embedded platforms.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Embedded Systems Architect to design and own the complete embedded architecture of our platform.

You will define and implement the embedded systems architecture spanning:

• Real-time Linux (Tegra-based edge compute)
• STM32 microcontrollers
• Safety microcontrollers
• Custom PCB-based hardware platforms

This role includes full ownership of compute partitioning, real-time scheduling, safety architecture, communication interfaces, and production firmware implementation.

You will architect deterministic, hard real-time subsystems while ensuring defense-grade robustness, safety mechanisms, and secure boot/update strategies. The role requires deep expertise in real-time systems, safety design, and low-level embedded development.

This position requires onsite work and eligibility for German security clearance.

Key Responsibilities

Embedded Architecture Design

• Define the overall embedded architecture across: Tegra (RT Linux) edge compute, STM32 microcontrollers, Dedicated safety microcontrollers, Custom PCB hardware platforms
• Architect compute partitioning and task allocation across processors
• Define deterministic timing budgets and scheduling strategies
• Design real-time communication structures between subsystems

Real-Time & Deterministic Systems

• Architect and implement hard real-time control loops on STM32 (bare metal)
• Define and optimize deterministic scheduling on RT Linux systems
• Ensure bounded latency and predictable execution under load
• Define watchdog structures, failsafe states, and recovery logic
• Implement robust power sequencing and startup logic

Safety & Reliability Engineering

• Design safety architecture including: Redundancy strategies, Fault detection and isolation, Graceful degradation modes
• Architect failsafe logic for safety-critical subsystems
• Ensure defense-grade robustness under environmental stress
• Establish structured error handling and diagnostics frameworks

Secure Embedded Platform

• Architect and implement: Secure boot chains, Hardware root of trust mechanisms, Encryption key storage strategies, Secure firmware update mechanisms
• Define secure communication interfaces in collaboration with DevSecOps
• Ensure robustness in classified or restricted environments

Communication & Interface Design

• Define and implement embedded communication protocols for: UART, Ethernet, High-speed camera links
• Architect deterministic data exchange across subsystems
• Establish internal protocol standards and documentation

Production Firmware Development

• Develop production-grade firmware in C (bare metal)
• Implement RT Linux drivers and low-level interfaces
• Write safety-critical code with clear structure and traceability
• Review and approve embedded software contributions
• Conduct lab validation and hardware bring-up

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with: Robotics engineers (real-time control integration), Controls engineers (timing and loop constraints), Hardware engineers (custom PCB and board design), Security engineers (secure boot and update chains)
• Support hardware bring-up, validation, and system testing

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in embedded systems engineering
• Strong expertise in real-time systems architecture
• Extensive experience developing firmware in C (bare metal)
• Experience with RT Linux systems
• Proven experience designing safety and reliability architectures
• Experience implementing secure boot and secure update pipelines
• Strong understanding of deterministic communication systems
• Experience with custom PCB-based hardware platforms
• EU citizenship and eligibility for German security clearance
• Willingness to work fully onsite in Berlin

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in defense, aerospace, or safety-critical systems
• Experience with safety microcontrollers and redundancy architectures
• Experience designing fault-tolerant embedded systems
• Experience optimizing high-bandwidth data paths (e.g., camera interfaces)
• Background in mission-critical robotics or control platforms

What We Offer

• Competitive salary
• VSOP / equity participation
• Dynamic and flexible work schedule
• Central Berlin office
• Extreme growth opportunity in a fast-scaling startup
• Monthly Voucher
• Subsidies for public transport
• Holiday allowance

Who You Are

• Architectural thinker: You see the system holistically, not just firmware modules
• Deterministic by design: You design for timing guarantees, not best effort
• Safety-driven: You think in failure modes and mitigation strategies
• Low-level expert: You are comfortable working close to hardware
• Structured and disciplined: You document interfaces, assumptions, and constraints clearly
• Mission-aligned: You understand the responsibility of building reliable defense-grade embedded systems