Senior/Principal Software Engineer

About the role

Radiance Technologies, a rapidly growing employee-owned company, is seeking a seasoned Senior/Principal Software Engineer to lead the design, development, integration, and verification of software for advanced missile and guided-projectile systems. In this role, you will be the bridge between flight dynamics theory and real-time embedded execution, owning the software architecture for Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), managing complex Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) simulation labs, and supporting end-to-end flight test campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• GNC & Embedded Software Development
• Design, implement, integrate, and verify mission-critical missile software, focusing heavily on GNC algorithms, autopilot loops, and flight control laws.
• Translate complex mathematical flight dynamics models into high-performance, deterministic, real-time code.
• Utilize Model-Based Design (MBD) frameworks (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink auto-coding) to transition control algorithms seamlessly into target hardware.
• Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) & Simulation Management
• Architect, maintain, and expand HWIL test environments, integrating flight computers, inertial measurement units (IMUs), actuation systems, and sensor suites.
• Plan and execute rigorous HWIL test campaigns to validate software performance against simulated aerodynamic threats, target profiles, and environmental disturbances.
• Troubleshoot complex, multi-domain system failures spanning software logic, digital/analog signal interfaces, and physical hardware behavior.
• Verification, Validation, & Accreditation (VV&A)
• Lead VV&A activities for simulation environments, software-only test beds, and HWIL facilities to ensure high fidelity and traceability to system requirements.
• Develop automated test scripts and regression suites to support continuous integration and rapid deployment of software updates.
• Pre-Flight Support & Mission Planning
• Collaborate with systems engineering and flight test teams to execute pre-flight activities, including missile flyout predictions, trajectory simulations, and safety analysis.
• Define and optimize Restricted Operating Zones (ROZ), range safety limits, and mission scripts for live-fire or captive-carry tests.
• Field Deployment & Discrepancy Resolution
• Apply deep flight-dynamics and systems-level knowledge to root-cause analysis, anomaly investigation, and discrepancy resolution during test execution.
• Deploy to remote test ranges, proving grounds, or integration facilities as required to support pre-test checkouts, launch operations, and post-flight data reduction.

Required Qualifications & Technical Stack

• Experience: 10+ years of professional software engineering experience specifically within aerospace, defense, or missile systems.
• Education: B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Core Programming Languages: Advanced proficiency in C and C++ for real-time embedded environments; familiarity with Python or MATLAB for scripting and analysis.
• Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS): Experience developing safety-critical software on RTOS platforms (e.g., VxWorks, Linux with PREEMPT_RT).
• Domain Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of flight dynamics, 6-DOF (Degrees of Freedom) simulation, aerodynamics, and control theory.
• HWIL & Lab Equipment: Proven background managing HWIL labs using real-time simulation hardware (e.g., dSPACE, National Instruments PXI/CompactRIO, Speedgoat) and communication protocols (MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet/UDP, ARINC 429, RS-422).
• Clearance: Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Secret

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with safety-critical software development standards (e.g., DO-178C or equivalent military standards).
• Familiarity with Agile development workflows, configuration management tools (Git, SVN), and requirements traceability tools (DOORS, Jira).
• Hands-on experience with sensor simulation or seeker-in-the-loop (SIL) testing.