Software Architect (Safety-Critical Systems)

Build the Digital Foundation of Trust

We arent just writing code; were building the digital foundation for our aircraft. We are seeking a master buildera Software Architect who can design the blueprint for our entire safety-critical software stack. You will be responsible for every layer from the bare metal to the application ensuring performance partitioning and absolute reliability for our advanced avionics flight control and autonomous navigation systems. If you have architected real-time systems from scratch and understand the demands of a safety-critical world this role is for you.

About The ePlane Company

The ePlane Company is at the forefront of Indias urban air mobility revolution. Incubated at IIT Madras we are a deep-tech startup dedicated to designing and building the worlds most compact electric flying taxi. Our mission is to make door-to-door flying a reality drastically reducing commute times and decongesting our cities for a cleaner greener future. Were a passionate team of engineers designers and visionaries working on cutting-edge technology and were looking for brilliant minds to help us take flight.

Roles and Responsibilities

As the Software Architect for Safety-Critical Systems you will be the technical authority for our embedded software foundation. You will:

• Define the Architecture: Design and document the high-level software architecture from the ground up for our safety-critical systems including the Flight Control Computer (FCC) advanced avionics (similar to ADAS) and autonomous navigation suite.
  
• Establish Foundational Layers: Establish the core software framework defining memory maps partitioning strategies (time and space) and real-time scheduling models.
  
• Author Software Requirements: Write clear verifiable and precise low-level software requirements based on system-level specifications.
  
• Set the Standard: Create enforce and champion strict coding standards (MISRA C/C) and software development processes to ensure certifiable robust and maintainable code.
  
• Architect for Performance: Design for real-time determinism ensuring that all processes meet their deadlines in a multithreaded environment while managing CPU load and memory usage.
  
• Design for Configuration: Implement robust strategies for configuration management (e.g. using macros and build variants) to handle different aircraft models and hardware revisions efficiently.
  
• Collaborate and Guide: Work closely with systems hardware and V&V teams to ensure the software architecture is verifiable testable and aligns with system safety requirements (e.g. DO-178C).
  
• Mentor Developers: Act as the lead technical expert on the software stack mentoring developers on best practices for safety-critical design.
  

Required Qualifications (Must-Haves)

• Experience: 8 years of experience in embedded software development with at least 3-4 of those years in a software architect or technical lead role for safety-critical systems.
  
• Education: Bachelors degree in Computer Science Electrical/Electronics Engineering or a related technical field.
  
• Critical Domain Experience: Proven experience in avionics or automotive (ADAS Autonomous Driving or real-time ECUs).
  
• Automotive Architecture Experience: Specific experience in automotive must include architecting systems for sensor fusion (camera LiDAR Radar) perception pipelines or path planning and decision-making logic within an ADAS or autonomous driving context.
  
• Functional Safety Architecture: Must have a deep understanding of functional safety principles (e.g. ISO 26262 DO-178C) and proven experience designing software architectures that are compliant with these standards (e.g. redundancy lockstep freedom-from-interference).
  
• C/C Expertise: Expert-level hands-on programming skills in Embedded C and C.
  
• RTOS Expertise: Must have deep practical experience with Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) particularly safety-certified kernels like LynxOS Deos VxWorks QNX or similar.
  
• Embedded Hardware Expertise: Must have strong experience with embedded processors (e.g. ARM Cortex-R/M PowerPC) and bringing up software on target edge hardware.
  
• Architectural Expertise: Demonstrable experience architecting complex real-time software systems from scratch.
  
• Performance Analysis: Hands-on experience with timing analysis CPU load measurement memory load analysis and code profiling on embedded targets.
  
• Requirements Authoring: Proven experience writing detailed low-level software requirements from system specifications.
  
• Standards: Expert knowledge of software coding standards like MISRA C/C and the rationale behind them.
  
• Low-Level Knowledge: Strong grasp of memory maps linker scripts bootloaders and hardware-software interaction.
  

Preferred Qualifications (Good-to-Haves)

• A Masters degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
  
• iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture (CPSA) or other software Architecture certification is an added advantage
  
• Direct experience with ARINC 653 compliant RTOS or architectural principles.
  
• Deep familiarity with certification standards like DO-178C or ISO 26262.
  
• Experience with automotive standards like AUTOSAR.
  
• Knowledge of Model-Based Development (MBD) and code generation (e.g. Simulink).
  
• Familiarity with safety and security concepts (e.g. fault tolerance secure boot).
  
• Knowledge of the Rust programming language is optional but valued.
  

What We Offer

• The opportunity to work on a groundbreaking product that will redefine urban transportation.
  
• A dynamic fast-paced and collaborative work environment with a brilliant and passionate team.
  
• Competitive salary and benefits.
  
• A culture of innovation where your ideas can directly impact the future of flight.