About the role

ABOUT THE ROLE North Vector Dynamics is building the next-generation unmanned systems. We’re looking for an Embedded Linux Engineer to own the software that enables these systems, from the board support packages up through the application layer. You’ll work close to the hardware, writing and debugging kernel drivers, boot code, and real-time software. You’ll report to our Flight Software Lead and work directly with our GNC, avionics, and electrical teams to bring the flight computer from bench to flight. If you want your code running on hardware that actually leaves the ground, this was written for you. WHAT YOU’LL DO • Design, build, and maintain the embedded Linux software running on the CM-70 interceptor’s onboard flight and mission computer, from the board support package through the application layer. • Develop and maintain Linux kernel drivers and BSP customizations (Yocto/Buildroot) for custom flight computer hardware, including sensor interfaces, communication buses, and peripheral I/O. • Port, optimize, and maintain software running on GPU-accelerated ARM SoC compute modules, including driver bring-up and vendor SDK integration for onboard sensor processing. • Build real-time and deterministic software components that meet the timing, reliability, and safety demands of a flight-critical system. • Develop and maintain low-level device drivers, bootloaders (U-Boot), and system init for custom embedded hardware platforms. • Work closely with GNC, avionics, and electrical engineers to integrate flight computer software with sensors, actuators, and communication systems (CAN, SPI, I2C, Ethernet, and similar). • Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure for embedded software validation. • Debug issues across the full stack, from kernel and driver level up through application software, using tools such as JTAG, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers. • Contribute to system architecture decisions that balance performance, power, size, weight, and reliability constraints for a flight vehicle. • Support integration, bench testing, and field testing of the interceptor’s electronics as required. • Step into whatever the mission demands: this is a startup, and no two weeks will look the same. WHAT YOU BRING Required • Production experience developing embedded Linux systems, including kernel and driver development, BSP customization, and build systems such as Yocto or Buildroot. • Solid understanding of Linux internals: process and memory management, device drivers, interrupt handling, and the boot process, including bootloaders such as U-Boot. • Experience with embedded communication protocols and buses, such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, and Ethernet. • Experience working with vendor-supplied Linux distributions and SDKs for ARM-based SoC compute modules, and comfort picking up a new vendor ecosystem quickly. • Comfort working close to the hardware: reading schematics and using JTAG, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers to debug issues that span software and electronics. • Strong software engineering fundamentals: version control, testing, code review, and CI/CD for embedded targets. • Strong experience with C++ and Python • Eligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance; active clearance is a significant asset. Preferred • Experience developing software for flight computers, avionics, or other safety- or mission-critical embedded systems in aerospace or defence. • Exposure to hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) testing, flight software verification, or formal systems engineering processes. • Familiarity with GPU-accelerated compute on embedded/edge platforms (e.g., CUDA, TensorRT) for sensor processing or onboard inference. • Familiarity with Robot Operating System (ROS) • Military background is a strong asset, we deeply value the operational context, mission focus, and technical discipline that veterans bring. Candidates with prior service in