XTEND Tampa is seeking an Embedded Software Engineer to support the development, integration, and production of autonomous drone systems.

This role focuses on hands-on embedded software and firmware development for tactical UAS platforms, including low-level driver development, hardware/software integration, communication interfaces, and embedded system debugging. The engineer will work closely with electrical, mechanical, software, and production teams to ensure reliable, manufacturable, and field-ready drone systems.

Main Responsibilities

Embedded Software & Firmware Development

Develop, maintain, and improve embedded software and firmware for autonomous drone systems using C, with occasional support using C++ and Python.

Hardware / Software Integration

Work directly with hardware components, embedded processors, co-processors, sensors, payload interfaces, and peripheral devices to ensure reliable system-level integration.

Low-Level Driver Development

Develop and support low-level drivers and communication interfaces, including I2C, UART, SPI, GPIO, and other embedded hardware protocols.

Microcontroller Development

Support embedded development on STM ARM microcontroller-based platforms, including firmware implementation, debugging, and hardware bring-up.

System Integration Support

Collaborate with electrical, mechanical, software, and production teams during prototype development, system integration, and production troubleshooting.

Debugging & Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot firmware, hardware, PCB, and interface-level issues using engineering tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, debuggers, and schematics.

Core Operating System Support

Contribute to the development and refinement of XTEND’s embedded software architecture and core operating environment for drone and payload systems.

Testing & Validation

Support bench testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, system integration testing, and field validation of embedded systems.

Documentation

Develop and maintain embedded software documentation, interface descriptions, test procedures, troubleshooting guides, and integration notes.

Requirements

Education - B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical discipline.

Experience - 3+ years of hands-on experience in embedded software or firmware development.

Embedded Programming - Strong experience developing embedded software in C.

Hardware Integration - Experience debugging and integrating software directly on hardware platforms.

Communication Protocols - Experience implementing or troubleshooting embedded communication protocols such as I2C, UART, SPI, GPIO, or similar interfaces.

Microcontrollers - Experience working with STM ARM microcontrollers or similar embedded processor platforms.

Debugging Tools - Proficiency using oscilloscopes and other bench-level debugging tools to troubleshoot embedded systems, PCBs, and hardware interfaces.

Schematics & Board-Level Understanding - Ability to read schematics, understand board-level design intent, and support hardware/software troubleshooting.

Hands-On Engineering - Comfortable working directly with hardware, prototypes, production systems, and fielded equipment.

Team Collaboration - Strong communication skills with the ability to work across embedded software, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, production, and field support teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with C++ and/or Python.
Experience with Linux kernel development or embedded Linux environments.
Familiarity with ROS2.
Experience using Git or similar software configuration management tools.
Experience with drone systems, robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace systems, or defense-related products.
Experience supporting prototype builds, production environments, or fielded hardware systems.
Familiarity with real-time systems, sensor integration, payload control, or communication modules.