Senior Hardware Development Engineer (Safety-Critical Computers)

This is the ultimate challenge in embedded systems. We are seeking a world-class hardware architect and engineer to lead the development of the most critical component of our aircraft: its brain. You will be responsible for creating the high-integrity Flight Control Computer (FCC) and Mission Computer from the ground up.

Your mission is to drive the architecture for our flight-critical computers and lead all aspects of their hardware and FPGA development. This role requires a deep, proven expertise in designing complex, high-reliability hardware and an unwavering mastery of the DO-254 certification process.

The ePlane Company is at the forefront of India's urban air mobility revolution. Incubated at IIT Madras, we are a deep-tech startup dedicated to designing and building the world's 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. We're a passionate team of engineers, designers, and visionaries working on cutting-edge technology, and we're looking for brilliant minds to help us take flight.

As the Lead Hardware Development Engineer, you will own the technical development of our flight and mission computers. You will:

• →Architect High-Integrity Computers: Define the end-to-end hardware architecture for our flight-critical computers, specifying multicore processors, lockstep configurations, memory partitioning schemes, and redundancy management to meet DAL-A safety requirements.
• →Lead Hardware Development: Drive the complete hardware development lifecycle, whether managing external vendors or leading in-house design teams. You will be the primary technical authority.
• →Lead DO-254 Verification: Rigorously audit and verify all DO-254 artifacts and design processes. You will be our internal authority ensuring all hardware work is certifiable.
• →Hands-on FPGA Development: Lead the development of complex logic in FPGAs (using VHDL/Verilog) for critical functions, including sensor interfaces, image processing pipelines, and high-speed data routing.
• →Perform Critical Analysis: Conduct rigorous latency and timing analysis for all functions. Define and manage memory budgets and architectures (e.g., ECC, NVM).
• →Define Systems Interface: Work with the systems team (ARP4754A) and software team (DO-178C) to ensure the hardware design correctly implements all safety requirements and provides a robust platform for the software (e.g., defining the BSP hardware requirements).
• →Lead Verification & Validation: Develop and execute comprehensive hardware verification plans, including simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and formal verification methods to prove design correctness.

• Experience: 8+ years of direct, hands-on experience in the development of complex, safety-critical electronic hardware.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electronics, Electrical, or Computer Engineering.
• DO-254 Expertise: Non-negotiable, deep, practical experience taking a hardware product through the DO-254 DAL A or B certification process. You must have authored and managed the complete certification evidence package (e.g., PHAC, HAS).
• Safety-Critical Architecture: Proven experience designing high-reliability embedded computer architectures using multicore processors, lockstep configurations, and robust memory partitioning schemes.
• RTOS & Partitioning: Deep knowledge of ARINC 653 principles and their hardware-level implementation. Must understand how hardware design enables a partitioned RTOS environment.
• FPGA Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in VHDL or Verilog and extensive experience with modern FPGA/SoC toolchains (e.g., Xilinx Vivado, Intel Quartus).
• Systems & Software Interface: Strong, practical understanding of the ARP4754A systems engineering process and the critical DO-254 / DO-178C interface.
• BSP Knowledge: A solid understanding of the hardware components and documentation required to enable Board Support Package (BSP) development.
• Avionics & Mixed-Signal Design: Experience with standard avionics interfaces (e.g., ARINC 429, CAN, AFDX/Ethernet) and mixed-signal design (e.g., sensor signal conditioning, ADC/DAC).
• Best Practices: A firm grasp of best practices for safety-critical hardware design (e.g., dissimilarity, fault containment, double buffering, redundant clocking).

• Hardware Safety Assessment: Knowledge of hardware safety and reliability analysis (e.g., FMEA, FTA, Reliability Prediction (MTBF)).
• FPGA for Image Processing: Experience developing FPGAs specifically for image processing, computer vision, or sensor fusion applications.
• High-Speed PCB Design: Experience with schematic capture and reviewing high-speed, multi-layer PCB layouts for signal integrity and power integrity.
• Environmental Standards: Knowledge of environmental qualification testing according to DO-160.