Software Architect (Safety-Critical Systems)

We aren't just writing code; we're building the digital foundation for our aircraft. We are seeking a master builder—a 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.

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 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.

• 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: Bachelor’s 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.

• A Master’s 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.