Software Engineer

Pyka is looking for a Software Engineer to join our experienced team. In this role, you will work with the rest of the eight-person software team to develop ground and flight-control software for our large-scale autonomous aircraft. Below is a list of some current and future projects that you will contribute to:

• Real-time 3D lidar data processing on an NVIDIA Jetson running Linux
  
  
  

• Development of ground-control software, including mission planning and 3D visualization
  
  
  

• Real-time radio-based telemetry and control system
  
  
  

• Custom hard-real-time FPGA hardware abstraction layer
  
  
  

• Custom bare-metal hardware-support layer for a Cyclone V-based SoC flight controller
  
  
  

• Hardware-in-the loop simulation built on a custom FPGA-based HIL simulation board
  
  
  

• Automated regression and integration testing infrastructure
  
  
  

• Full system simulation of autonomous aircraft, including 3D LIDAR-based obstacle avoidance (including basic aerodynamic simulation and hardware-level simulation of all aircraft components)
  
  

About Pyka

Pyka’s goal is to provide society with a new form of fast, environmentally friendly, and accessible transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation.

To get there, we’re taking a different approach than most. We're applying our technologies to every industry where electric aircraft can be useful, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. In doing so, we're building useful, game-changing products manufactured at scale, while perfecting the safety, reliability, and capabilities of our autonomy engine and electric propulsion systems. 

Today, we supply our aircraft to agricultural service providers and farmers as an autonomous tool that makes aerial crop protection safer, more targeted and less harmful to surrounding environments. Our vehicles are highly economical to operate and easy to deploy. What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one-step closer each day.

We design, develop and manufacture an ecosystem of technologies including proprietary flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes.

We foster a welcoming community within our company that promotes experimentation, asking questions, making simple solutions to complex problems, and expressing different views and opinions. We are a transparent company both internally and externally and do not believe in operating in “stealth mode.” Lastly, we don’t work 60 hour weeks, and don’t expect you to either. In this role you will have a great deal of responsibility, earn a competitive salary and benefits,  and contribute to the development of groundbreaking technology.

Responsibilities

• Work with the software team to contribute to an existing C++17 codebase
  
  
  

• Debug complex firmware and software issues in simulation, on the bench, and in situ on real hardware
  
  
  

• Design and implement new software components and corresponding tests
  
  
  

• Write documentation for new and existing components of the flight controller
  
  
  

• Work closely with flight testing teams to identify, prioritize, and solve problems and write tests/simulations to ensure they remain fixed
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional robotics software experience
  
  
  

• Experience with C++11 or newer
  
  
  

• Familiarity with Linux and general understanding of its inner workings
  
  
  

• Experience debugging challenging problems involving low-level Linux systems and/or bare-metal SoCs
  
  
  

• Experience with bare-metal programming and/or operating systems
  
  
  

• Experience with software test infrastructure
  
  
  

• Basic knowledge of electrical systems and some experience with test equipment (oscilloscope, logic analyzer, multimeter, etc.)
  
  
  

• Passion for aviation
  
  
  

• Experience with physical or robotic systems
  
  
  

Company Perks

• $120,000–$163,000 per year base salary + equity. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Salary ranges are subject to change.
  
  
  

• Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance, FSA with employer matching, and 401(k)
  
  
  

• Paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
  
  
  

• Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks
  
  
  

Export Control Requirements

This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls.  Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items. 

Company may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or may modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as Company deems appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions.