Embedded Software Engineer III, Kernel

About the Role

As Flock expands our Device OS Team for our Aviation hardware products, ensuring absolute operating system stability is critical for flight. This team is responsible for the entire software and firmware stack running on our mission-critical drones and the supporting docks. In this role, you will gain hands-on experience across a wide range of development areas—from low-level driver development and system bring-up to OS customizations and feature implementation. You’ll work closely with senior engineers, internal stakeholders, and external partners, building your expertise in embedded Linux and kernel development while contributing directly to the performance and reliability of our devices.

What You Bring

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• 2+ years of experience in embedded software development on consumer devices
• Practical experience working with embedded Linux-based systems (academic, internship, or professional) such as Yocto and BuildRoot
• Solid programming skills in C and C++
• Practical experience with Linux kernel internals (memory management, power management, IRQ handling)
• Experience with Linux kernel drivers for SPI/I2C/UART
• Familiarity with bootloaders development and customization and early bring-up concepts
• Experience developing or debugging firmware for Audio Digital Signal Processors within embedded hardware environments is a plus
• Hands-on experience with Qualcomm chipset bring-up and Qualcomm proprietary subsystems is a plus
• Knowledge of OpenWRT and networking protocols and services (TCP/IP, D-Bus) is a plus

What This Role Is Not

• This isn't a high-level application or UI development role; you will focus entirely on low-level kernel space, bootloaders, and BSP bring-up
• This is not a purely theoretical design role; you will directly debug physical devices, run CI builds, and deploy stable operating system builds directly to hardware
• This isn't an isolated engineering position; you will collaborate constantly across electrical engineering, QA, and cloud teams to align hardware and software behavior

Pay

In this role, you'll receive a starting salary between $130,000 and $160,000 as well as Flock Stock Options. Base salary is determined by job-related experience, education/training, and market indicators.

Why Flock

Every community deserves to be safe. Flock builds the technology that makes that real: last year we supported over 1 million criminal investigations and helped locate more than 10,000 missing people. We're 1,700 people building the impossible with over $1B in funding, and the expectations are high on purpose. If you want a role where the stakes are real and the pace matches, this is it.

Some problems get solved faster in the same room, so we prioritize candidates in Atlanta and Boston. Hub-based roles mean real in-person time with your coworkers.