Avionics Embedded Software Engineer - Summer Internship 2027

Position Overview

As an Avionics Embedded Software Engineering Intern, you will support the development, integration, verification, and debugging of embedded software for Inversion's next-generation reentry vehicles. You will sit within the Avionics team and work closely with embedded software, electrical, RF, GNC, test, and vehicle engineers to develop software that interfaces directly with flight hardware.

You will gain hands-on experience developing and debugging firmware and embedded software, bringing up new hardware, integrating sensors and communications interfaces, and validating software in laboratory and hardware-in-the-loop environments. This is a practical, systems-focused internship for students interested in embedded systems, real-time software, flight computers, hardware/software integration, and aerospace applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with embedded software and avionics engineers to develop, integrate, test, and debug flight software and firmware.
• Develop software for microcontrollers, processors, sensors, communications interfaces, and other avionics hardware.
• Support board bring-up and hardware/software integration, including debugging interfaces between embedded software and electrical hardware.
• Implement and debug drivers and interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, GPIO, ADCs, and other embedded interfaces.
• Develop and execute software tests using laboratory hardware, engineering test fixtures, and hardware-in-the-loop systems.
• Support real-time software development using an RTOS or similar embedded software framework.
• Debug software and hardware issues using tools such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, debuggers, serial consoles, and software instrumentation.
• Develop test scripts and analysis tools using Python or similar languages to automate validation and characterize system behavior.
• Support integration of sensors, flight computers, RF systems, power electronics, and other avionics subsystems.
• Analyze failures and anomalies, identify root causes, and work with multidisciplinary teams to implement and verify corrective actions.
• Document software behavior, test results, interfaces, and technical findings to support flight hardware development and verification.

Required Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree program in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• GPA of 3.0 or above.
• 3+ months of applied engineering experience (internship, laboratory, and personal/team project experience is applicable).
• Coursework or project experience in embedded systems, computer architecture, operating systems, real-time systems, or related disciplines.
• Experience programming in C or C++.
• Experience developing software for a microcontroller, embedded processor, FPGA-based system, robotics platform, or similar hardware.
• Strong problem-solving, written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical results clearly to multidisciplinary teams.

Desired Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with an RTOS such as Zephyr, FreeRTOS, or similar.
• Experience with embedded Linux or low-level software development.
• Experience developing device drivers or low-level hardware interfaces.
• Familiarity with SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, GPIO, ADCs, or similar embedded interfaces.
• Experience debugging embedded systems using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD debuggers, or similar tools.
• Experience with board bring-up and hardware/software integration.
• Experience developing automated software tests or hardware-in-the-loop test systems.
• Experience with Python for test automation, data analysis, or development tooling.
• Familiarity with real-time concepts such as interrupts, scheduling, concurrency, synchronization, timing constraints, and memory management.
• Experience developing embedded systems through Formula SAE, student rocketry, CubeSat, robotics, or similar engineering projects.
• Previous internship experience at a space, aerospace, or hardware startup.
• Familiarity with Git, CI/CD, software configuration management, and collaborative software development practices.

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in-office presence.:

Pay and benefits

The California annual base hourly rate for this role is currently $38-$41. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

ITAR Compliance

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.